The Giant Safety Net
We have a core value as a church: playing it safe is risky. I think there are a dozen ways to say it. Safe is unsafe. Taking no risks is very risky. safety is risky and risk is safe. But you get the idea :) I just think faith is about playing to win. Too many Christians live like they're playing not to lose. But risk and regret have an inverse relationship. If you don't take any risks you'll have lots of regrets.
Neil Clark Warren talks about optimism in his book Catching the Rhythm of Love. He says, "Fundamental to the adoption of an optimistic outlook on your life is the need for a giant safety net." I immediately think of a tightrope walker at the circus. A safety net removes the fear of falling. It allows you to focus on walking the tightrope.
Warren says, "You need to know that you can make a few mistakes along the way and not be obliterated by them." How we view mistakes is huge! Mistakes are learning opportunities!
Then Warren says, "Without this safety net, your anxiety may run so high that you will portect yourself against every eventuality, safeguard yourself on every side, live every moment with ultimate caution, and play for a 0-0 tie in the game of life."
That last line impacted me because we're in The Game of Life series. I think too many people play The Game of Life like they're playing not to lose! But God is our giant safety net. That ought to free us from fear so we can walk the tightrope of faith.
Don't look down :)
Neil Clark Warren talks about optimism in his book Catching the Rhythm of Love. He says, "Fundamental to the adoption of an optimistic outlook on your life is the need for a giant safety net." I immediately think of a tightrope walker at the circus. A safety net removes the fear of falling. It allows you to focus on walking the tightrope.
Warren says, "You need to know that you can make a few mistakes along the way and not be obliterated by them." How we view mistakes is huge! Mistakes are learning opportunities!
Then Warren says, "Without this safety net, your anxiety may run so high that you will portect yourself against every eventuality, safeguard yourself on every side, live every moment with ultimate caution, and play for a 0-0 tie in the game of life."
That last line impacted me because we're in The Game of Life series. I think too many people play The Game of Life like they're playing not to lose! But God is our giant safety net. That ought to free us from fear so we can walk the tightrope of faith.
Don't look down :)
3 Comments:
How to Walk on Water
The Lord gave me a passion for international human rights a number of years ago. Since then, I had been praying for a way to get involved. Last May, He opened my eyes (with conviction) to all the opportunities He had put in my path with regard to that prayer. For example, I remembered that a few people who worked in the field had given me their business cards and told me to contact them; I never responded to their invitations because I didn’t think I was qualified. After the Lord reminded me of this, I repented and told Him that if ever He gave me another chance, I wouldn’t turn it down.
Shortly thereafter, the Lord answered my prayer. I received an invitation to interpret at an International Justice Mission conference. My once-fluent Spanish was a bit rusty, so I prayed about it and told the Lord that if He would meet me there, I would do it. He confirmed that He would be with me, and I accepted the invitation. When I met the speaker, I had a hard time understanding everything she said, but I knew that God had promised His presence to me, so I just kept praying that He would give me the ability to fully comprehend the speaker and to accurately convey her testimony. I had recently read Matthew 14:22-33 and thought that if I could just stay radar-locked on Jesus, He would carry me through the experience; after all, that was how Peter walked on water. I figured that even if I got scared that Jesus would reach out His hand and grab me, as He did for Peter.
Well, God didn’t give me a perfect ability to interpret everything the speaker said, but He kept His promise to me. After botching a few phrases, a very kind woman who was sitting next to where I was standing offered to take over. Relieved, I thanked her and sat down. While it would have been great to have received perfect interpreting ability, His way of meeting me was much deeper and more impacting that my way. By allowing me to take the risk, allowing me to fall, and still meeting me as He had promised, I learned to trust Him more, and that when He says He’ll be there, He’ll be there – even if it’s not in the way that we had imagined. I also learned that falling on your face is good for you: it builds strength and character, and makes you less afraid of failing the next time. It also makes each successive failure hurt less and less. Finally, that experience made even more real to me Matthew 14:22-33. Without the Lord, I am a coward, barely willing to dip my toe in the water. When I stay focused on Him, I can walk on it. At the very least, He’ll never let us drown. But, as Pastor Mark said, I must get first out of the boat!
Thanks for sharing your story Andi!! I hope that it encourages others like it encouraged me. :) I think that you might like this saying by President Roosevelt. "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt
Thanks for the great quote, Tim! It's going on my fridge. =)
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