take a risk

So lately I have been evaluating my life…what I am doing with the time, talent, and resources I have been given. I have been thinking about the great men and women of faith in the Bible and throughout history. One thing that characterized their lives is that they all were risk-takers.

And isnt that what “faith” is all about? The verse says, “faith without works is dead”…meaning that if you are not doing something that requires God to show up, say something, or make a way,  then your faith is not active… it is not even alive. It remains a lifeless concept that you agree with in theory. Just knowledge. Like understanding the horror of the holocaust by reading an encyclopedia. It is an idea that has made an impression but hasn’t really changed the way you live…it is a fleeting thought or emotion.

Faith comes to life in our actions. This is where the power of God lies. But because the word is over-used within the Church,  I prefer the phrase “taking risks.” This is the essence of faith.

I risk something and God comes through.

Oh, that we would see our lives in this way. Like we are living in an adventure story where our superpower comes to life each time we decide to risk something. It could be our pride. It could be our money. It could be our comfort, our health, our success. We see an opportunity (an open door, a need, an unexpected moment). Next we see the risk (the cost, the fear, the possibility of rejection, embarassment, loss, or failure). The faith comes (the power comes) when we act anyways and trust that God will be there.

So, take a risk….and hold on. The adventure is just beginning.