TAKING A RISK
TAKING A RISK
I like to think of myself as an adventurous, risk-taking person. After all, I've traveled some, enjoy hiking outdoors (never know when you might run into a rattlesnake) and love the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. I love watching YouTubers sail around the world or those who sell everything to live in a camper and travel the states and dream of what that would be like. I'm not one who loves the thrill of falling from an airplane and if you've seen the latest Amazing Race, not even a million dollars could get me to free fall through a ravine in Switzerland. Ok, so maybe I'm not the biggest risk-taking adventurer, but I have taken risks. They tend to be so scary, but so rewarding.
I was reading through 1 Samuel recently and I love the story of Jonathan and his armor-bearer (poor dudes so heroic and we don't even get to know his name) and the risk they took in taking on the Philistines to advance God's chosen people. If you don't know the story, Jonathan's dad, Saul, had recently been chosen as the first king of Israel. During this time, there was a lot of wars going on and Israel had to defend themselves especially from one group, the Philistines. During this war, Jonathan and his armor-bearer left the safety Israelite camp and decided it was a good idea to go do battle on their own. Just the two of them. Against an army of men. Is this risk-taking or have we crossed over into crazy? Anyway, Jonathan had so much faith that God could do the miraculous, he decided that by whatever answer the Philistines gave him when they saw him, that was how he and his side-kick would know whether to fight this army or not. So they climbed up a mountain and showed themselves to the Philistines who, I'm sure thought they were lost and then promptly called them derogatory names. But, they said the keywords Jonathan and his armor-bearer were looking for to know that God would help them defeat their enemy. So, they went into the battle. They killed the first twenty men who came for them and the others started to freak out. In my head, it looks an awful lot like Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon...only without guns. And in the desert. But close. Then God sent an earthquake and there was some serious panic and the Philistine's fled from the camp. The Israelite army heard the commotion and saw what was happening and jumped into the fray and were able to defeat the Philistines all because a guy took a risk and trusted God with the outcome.
Man! That sounds so great! So why is it so hard to do in my own life? I know for me, to take the next God risk in my life, I have to choose to get in the game. So often I like to sit on the sidelines and cheer other people on that are doing great things. It's so much easier to see the game from up in the stands. Sometimes, I even like to be the commentator who tells others how they should play the game. It's much harder to actually get in the game and be vulnerable to it. But I know the only way to advance in life is to take the next best step.
Once I'm taking my action step, the next thing I face is fear. Fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of getting hurt. But there are so many scriptures to fall back on where God tells us not to fear. I love Jonathan's faith! He says in 1 Samuel 14:6, "...It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few." I feel like I talk about faith all the time, but honestly; faith is all I have. If this God thing isn't the real thing, then I'm in deep trouble because all my eggs are in Jesus' basket. But I know it is real because God has been so faithful to me, how can I not try my best to be faithful to Him?
THEN the faith of his armor-bearer who says, "Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul." Man! How important are good friends when we make our bold move? Someone to stand with us and have our backs for whatever may come. Those who we can call in the middle of the night, those who will cheer when we succeed and cry with us when we lose. Who pray for us often and love us in spite of ourselves!
And often in taking the next life risk with faith in God and the support of our friends, we often inspire others to join us in taking risks in their lives that they have been avoiding. I love how the Israelites saw what two men could do to a whole army and took up the fight to join them! I know I have often been motivated to tackle things in my own life when I see the faith of someone else who took a risk in their life.
So what's my next life risk? Well, I feel like I'm doing it right now by writing what God has placed on my heart. I write with the intent to be completely honest (sometimes painfully transparent) about my struggles and my successes. One time, I had a well-meaning person in my life tell me that I should just leave the ugly out there without the hope. But that isn't my story. My story has all sorts of ugly, but always has hope because I have the foundation of my life anchored in Christ. He is my hope and in Him I put my trust.
What about you? Are there any risks that you need to take in your life? Can I encourage you that no matter what fears you may face about doing your next step, if you do it with God, He will guide and direct your path, even in the midst of a beautifully broken life.
I like to think of myself as an adventurous, risk-taking person. After all, I've traveled some, enjoy hiking outdoors (never know when you might run into a rattlesnake) and love the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. I love watching YouTubers sail around the world or those who sell everything to live in a camper and travel the states and dream of what that would be like. I'm not one who loves the thrill of falling from an airplane and if you've seen the latest Amazing Race, not even a million dollars could get me to free fall through a ravine in Switzerland. Ok, so maybe I'm not the biggest risk-taking adventurer, but I have taken risks. They tend to be so scary, but so rewarding.
I was reading through 1 Samuel recently and I love the story of Jonathan and his armor-bearer (poor dudes so heroic and we don't even get to know his name) and the risk they took in taking on the Philistines to advance God's chosen people. If you don't know the story, Jonathan's dad, Saul, had recently been chosen as the first king of Israel. During this time, there was a lot of wars going on and Israel had to defend themselves especially from one group, the Philistines. During this war, Jonathan and his armor-bearer left the safety Israelite camp and decided it was a good idea to go do battle on their own. Just the two of them. Against an army of men. Is this risk-taking or have we crossed over into crazy? Anyway, Jonathan had so much faith that God could do the miraculous, he decided that by whatever answer the Philistines gave him when they saw him, that was how he and his side-kick would know whether to fight this army or not. So they climbed up a mountain and showed themselves to the Philistines who, I'm sure thought they were lost and then promptly called them derogatory names. But, they said the keywords Jonathan and his armor-bearer were looking for to know that God would help them defeat their enemy. So, they went into the battle. They killed the first twenty men who came for them and the others started to freak out. In my head, it looks an awful lot like Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon...only without guns. And in the desert. But close. Then God sent an earthquake and there was some serious panic and the Philistine's fled from the camp. The Israelite army heard the commotion and saw what was happening and jumped into the fray and were able to defeat the Philistines all because a guy took a risk and trusted God with the outcome.
Man! That sounds so great! So why is it so hard to do in my own life? I know for me, to take the next God risk in my life, I have to choose to get in the game. So often I like to sit on the sidelines and cheer other people on that are doing great things. It's so much easier to see the game from up in the stands. Sometimes, I even like to be the commentator who tells others how they should play the game. It's much harder to actually get in the game and be vulnerable to it. But I know the only way to advance in life is to take the next best step.
Once I'm taking my action step, the next thing I face is fear. Fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of getting hurt. But there are so many scriptures to fall back on where God tells us not to fear. I love Jonathan's faith! He says in 1 Samuel 14:6, "...It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few." I feel like I talk about faith all the time, but honestly; faith is all I have. If this God thing isn't the real thing, then I'm in deep trouble because all my eggs are in Jesus' basket. But I know it is real because God has been so faithful to me, how can I not try my best to be faithful to Him?
THEN the faith of his armor-bearer who says, "Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul." Man! How important are good friends when we make our bold move? Someone to stand with us and have our backs for whatever may come. Those who we can call in the middle of the night, those who will cheer when we succeed and cry with us when we lose. Who pray for us often and love us in spite of ourselves!
And often in taking the next life risk with faith in God and the support of our friends, we often inspire others to join us in taking risks in their lives that they have been avoiding. I love how the Israelites saw what two men could do to a whole army and took up the fight to join them! I know I have often been motivated to tackle things in my own life when I see the faith of someone else who took a risk in their life.
So what's my next life risk? Well, I feel like I'm doing it right now by writing what God has placed on my heart. I write with the intent to be completely honest (sometimes painfully transparent) about my struggles and my successes. One time, I had a well-meaning person in my life tell me that I should just leave the ugly out there without the hope. But that isn't my story. My story has all sorts of ugly, but always has hope because I have the foundation of my life anchored in Christ. He is my hope and in Him I put my trust.
What about you? Are there any risks that you need to take in your life? Can I encourage you that no matter what fears you may face about doing your next step, if you do it with God, He will guide and direct your path, even in the midst of a beautifully broken life.
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