SPEAKING OF RISKS

I wrote about risks in yesterday's blog. We got onto the subject today at lunch with folks who presently are serving God in Thailand and in Malaysia. We talked about the challenges they face both in ministry and in family life. We then morphed into conversation about the loss we all may experience if we choose to play it safe.
Wade referenced a great illustration given by the author/speaker Donald Miller. Donald told of his conversation with one Dad whose teenage children were drifting away from the Christian faith. Donald challenged him to build a better (read more risky) faith life story than he lived at present. Donald told him "you are showing them how boring Christianity can be rather than how dynamic it can be". That father took a risk, got his family involved in short term missions work, and things changed dramatically. The illustration is written by Miller somewhere. It is a great story.
Sometimes of course the faith-steps we would never choose are forced upon us. So it was with Job. I marvel at Job's faith as his life absolutely falls apart. He lost his considerable fortune in one day. But worse than that, all of his children are killed in a storm. He is totally devastated. And yet, - and yet, he remains a man of faith. Job answers in words (which many of you have sung at church): "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised."
Then he loses his health. When his wife suggests he curse God and die, Job replys "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble."
Job did not get to choose his huge faith steps. Many of us will face faith steps we would never choose. When faced with the pain of life in this sin-scarred world will we take those steps - with faith? Jan and I usually attend a large Vietnamese church on Sundays. The Senior Pastor there, age about 55, is terribly ill with cancer. I watch him give the opening prayer each Sunday and then sit for the rest of the service, too ill and weak to preach. He leads by example while he has little strength to lead in any other way.
Faith steps: some we get to choose, and must not refuse. Some we cannot refuse, but we do choose what kind of faith will we assert as we walk through the pain.