This weekend I was told, "I just feel like so much is at stake, and stepping up my involvement in our church seems so risky to me; I don't know if I'm up for this. Things are OK right now. I mean, it's not like I'm unaware of how good I've got it. I liked going to church better before we talked so much about personal mission and personal involvement. This whole Experiencing God thing is kinda freakin' me out. I just don't know if this is the best time for me to fling my life into such a risky church."
I understand.
But chasing security rather than opportunity is most unwise.
Helen Keller had a point: "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Every time I think I'm in control, circumstances remind me how silly I'm being. I can't even control the outcomes of a meeting. I can't control the traffic. I can't control the events of my day and I certainly can't control people. When I think I'm avoiding the risks of living in a broken world - I'm deceiving myself.
What I need is courage. Without it I have little hope of staying true. When fear, self-interest and a desire to "save myself" overwhelm me, I'm inclined to put my safety above everything else. It's doubtful I'll do what's right in the face of fear if I lack courage. The risk of obeying God in fearsome circumstances is counter-intuitive. But it is necessary.
The more I strive for security and safety (the more I want protections against anything bad happening) the less free I am. The essence of freedom lies buried somewhere in responsibility and risky uncertainty. There's risk involved in the abundant life, and risks lie all along the path of The Jesus Way.
C.S. Lewis penned the remarkable Screwtape Letters wherein the demon Screwtape offers his demon apprentice (his nephew Wormwood) some advice on the importance of removing the virtue of courage from his human target's life:
"This, indeed, is probably one of the Enemy's (God's) motives for creating a dangerous world - a world in which moral issues really come to the point. He sees as well as you do that courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means, at the point of highest reality. A chastity or honesty, or mercy, which yields to danger will be chaste or honest or merciful only on conditions. Pilate was merciful till it became risky."
Does anyone actually believe we can live abundant, meaningful, satisfying lives without risk?
- Climbing a mountain is risky.
- Getting married is risky.
- Trusting someone else is risky.
- Trusting yourself is risky.
- Having children is risky.
- Auditioning is risky.
- Planting an apple orchard is risky.
- Learning to drive is risky.
- Taking a stand for what's right is risky.
- Sowing seed to reap a harvest is risky.
- Signing up for Calculus is risky.
- Starting a business is risky.
- Starting a church is risky.
- Stating clear goals is risky.
- Trying out for the team is risky.
- Living on God's mission is risky.
- Love is risky.
- Praying for HIS Kingdom to come and HIS will to be done is risky.
What is the greater risk: attempting such things, or shrinking back from them?
I'm not advocating the stupidity of carelessness, but if avoiding risk and saving myself is my ultimate goal, I'll not only miss the joyous adventure of The Jesus Way, I'll lose the life I'm trying to save in the process.
I've been singing the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick's prayerful 1930s hymn all morning. I grew up singing it and now it's helping me pray - for courage grounded by faith in the ONE who called me.
God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.
Save us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee Whom we adore,
Serving Thee Whom we adore.
Mark 8:35-36 - Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Thank You for this, it really touched my heart.I have been struggling the past few weeks and I needed the message in this blog. I am going to reread it, so I can soak in it for a little while longer. :)
Posted by: Amber | October 12, 2011 at 01:41 PM
Awesome point and so well made! Almost like God gave you extraordinary communication gifts --oh wait, He did! (And I so glad He did.)
Posted by: Becky Hunter | October 12, 2011 at 06:58 PM
Great article Pastor!
I find biographies a great way to inspire courage. A CD I listen to often is...
"Robert E. Lee on Leadership: Executive Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision".
Being heavily out-manned, out-gunned and out-supplied led Lee to be more aggressive and take more risks rather than less. His generalship style was the bane of Abraham Lincoln's attempts to end the war early. He simply could not find someone who could fight like Lee.
I am enjoying the Experiencing God classes. Walking "The Jesus Way" can be a bit unnerving at times. Listening to brothers and sisters share their walks helps.
Posted by: Mark McClean | October 13, 2011 at 07:51 AM