Living with Risk

A few years ago there was a movie starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston called "Along Came Polly."  In this movie Ben Stiller was a risk analyst for an insurance company, a person who looked at a person's life and determined if they were too risky to insure.  In the end, he comes to the conclusion that all of life is a risk and we can't isolate ourselves from everything dangerous.

I believe we've become a "riskless" people.  We strive so hard to make ourselves safe from everything, burrowing ourselves into the ground and hiding from everything that might prevent us from living to be 100.  In doing so, we limit our effectiveness for the Kingdom of God.  By eliminating risk, we tell God that we aren't willing to depend on him for everything.

I'm finishing up a book by Francis Chan called "Crazy Love."  This read has been a combination of joy and conviction, reveling in the love of God and then immediately facing the conviction of my pathetic response to this love.  In the last chapter of the book, Chan talks about our desire to build up a safety net that will catch us just in case God doesn't come through.  I pray this isn't what my life is like.  I understand about responsibility and taking care of my family, but I pray I lead my family to rely on God.  I pray we rely on God so much that if he doesn't come through, we fail miserably.  I think of Job, the kind of pain he went through.  I pray my response to every situation is "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord."

I pray I never fear risk.