I’ve thought of jumping out of a perfect airplane, with a parachute strapped to my back and plunging to the earth below. All the while, I’m praying the billowing sack of air will float me to the ground. Yes, I’ve thought about it. The one thing I’m not sure about is how to get close to an open door and bravely jumping (or being pushed) outside. Can I do it? Well, perhaps. As long as I’m guaranteed the parachute will open, then that will be my security.
Are there any guarantees?
If you are standing on the edge of a high precipice, fighting off vertigo, can you successfully allow your mind to control your body. No! Don’t fall! How about walking as close to the ribbon edge of chance? No! Don’t stumble! Can you trust the cliff edge to be safe and not crumbling? No!
But we do this all the time and have no thought about a closing speed of 100+ mph, your car, and a stranger. Thought driving on the right side of the road, we are often two or three feet apart and heading straight toward each other. Do you trust them, yourselves, or the artificial intelligence in the car’s brain that will someday be driving for us?
We swing a cleaver from above our heads down to the meat or vegetable lying on the table and held firmly by our remaining hand. Do we trust our aim? (Change that to a hammer or a nail if you are amind to.)
I’ve watched people bungy from a bridge, dive off a cliff and parasail, or drive a race car faster than you can imagine. The whole time I’m asking? How can we trust the experience and survive?
A long time ago, I heard an illustration about a king, general, or someone high enough to need a driver, put out the word that he was looking for someone to drive him safely through the day. This was back in chariot days. You know. Two wheels. Fast horses. Dangerous for everyone. Well, the day of tryouts came, and everyone tried to show the king how close to danger they could go and still arrive safely. The course wound through the countryside and eventually went down a mountain ridge to the valley below. Every driver showed how close to the edge they could get and still arrive safely except for one guy. He stayed far from the edge and arrived at the finish line to everyone’s disdain. They thought he was a wimp. He said, “My job is to keep my passenger safe. Not take chances!” He won the job.
Here’s My Thought Today
Sometimes we test our skills against obstacles we think are essential to show our ability or survival skills. I’m not so sure Jonah would have said, “Hey! Look! I can survive three days in a whale!” We often push ourselves to extremes and think this shows our bravery. Most of us look at it as foolishness. Free climbing a rock face to test ourselves against a mountain? Why? One false move, a shoddy piece of equipment, or even a cramp in your tired muscles. Bam! To the ground, you go!
I’m past the age of taking chances, but life is full of opportunities to find success only because you took charge! Yes, it may be dangerous! It could even be a little foolish.
Consider Gideon. There was a time of war upon the land, and God called him to lead Israel into battle (Judges 6-8). He asked God why hard times befell them, and we find God is in the answer. Gideon lays a fleece before the Lord to prove that God was asking of him came from God! Then, as those who decided they could fight showed up, God trimmed the ranks down to just 300, and they had a mighty victory.
God’s angel called him a mighty man of valor. But he did not see this within himself. He was threshing wheat while in hiding from the enemy. Perhaps he could not take chances, but God proved he was the right man for the day and hour. Israel won a mighty victory, although no one had to lift a sword or take a life. Trumpets. Pitchers were hiding the light. Surround the camp! Make a big noise! Make them fear the worst had arrived! The enemy fled! Eventually, they were slaughtered, but the battle was won mainly when the enemy was in flight!
Why Take Chances?
Why do we take chances? We think we can (or so says the little engine), but in reality, we can do nothing unless the Lord is for us. Paul said he could do all things through Christ, which was his strengthening agent but are we attempting to do what God wants us to do?
All technology came because someone took a chance. Before they knew the dangers of radiation poisoning, Marie Curie and her husband, Pierre, are buried in lead-lined vaults, and all their artifacts are stored in lead-lined rooms. [Source] They are radioactive! What they discovered eventually killed them. No one knew the dangers! But we are glad they did. We’ve experienced a better life because of their unknowingly dangerous life.
We often describe technology as being on the leading edge or the bleeding edge.
It Depended on how close to the latest and greatest technology you were.
Those that were first in space or will first go to another start system – some of my favorite reading dreams – will sacrifice their lives to be the first and best. Add to that those who want to break land speed records, fly faster airplanes, win greater rewards in the financial markets.
Many take chances and are thriving. Most of us are happy to remain safely behind our walls and tiny worlds. We don’t want to take chances.
Missionaries… I think about the Apostle Paul. Think about where Paul came from, his calling, and where he ended up. Did he take chances, or was he following God’s leading? We shake our heads and say things like, “Not me!” But God knows our frame and limitations. He also knows what we can accomplish when we allow Him to lead and guide us. Are we taking Chances? Now when God is in the mix!
Bottom Line: Make sure God is in the equation before you do anything!