It is impossible to live a life without risk. Throughout scripture we are told to take on life with
a spirit of boldness and bravery. Consider the words of Jesus in (Matthew 10:28) “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell”, or earlier in the Sermon on the Mount when He asked “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? (Matthew 6:27).
A life crippled by fear is an unfulfilled life. In fact, at times, it is the unknowable, the speculative and yes, even the “dangerous” that makes life worth living. These “dangerous” endeavors make it possible to do great things for God. In his book Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secrets of a Man’s Soul, John Eldredge makes this statement:
“Most men think they are simply here on earth to kill time – and it’s killing them. But the truth is precisely the opposite. The secret longing of your heart, whether it’s to build a boat and sail it, to write a symphony and play it, to plant a field and care for it – those are the things you were made to do. That’s what you are here for. Explore, build, conquer – you don’t have to tell a boy to do those things for the simple reason that is his purpose. But it’s going to take risk, and danger, and there’s the catch. Are we willing to live with the level of risk God invites us to?”
Life is dangerous, life is hard, and life is risky. Instead of always avoiding risk, we should embrace it and see what good can be done through us. All those in Scripture we look up to lived bold lives that could be seen as “risky”.
What are you willing to risk for Him?