{"id":7178,"date":"2012-08-03T12:47:32","date_gmt":"2012-08-03T19:47:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/andre\/?p=7178"},"modified":"2020-06-11T15:50:33","modified_gmt":"2020-06-11T15:50:33","slug":"faith-spelled-r-i-s-k-living-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/andre\/soul-significance\/faith-spelled-r-i-s-k-living-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Faith Spelled R-I-S-K: Living Life."},"content":{"rendered":"

A farmer walks into the local diner.\u00a0 He sits down, wipes the sweat from his brow, and orders a coffee.\u00a0 The diner is a buzz with other locals talking about everything from the state of the economy to politics and how the crops were coming along.\u00a0 The banter was lively and folksy as the farmer's friend took up the stool next to him. \u00a0 He smiled and asked, \u201cWorking hard or hardly working?\u201d He chortled.<\/span><\/p>\n

The farmer with a slight grin on his face, wiping the sweat from his brow again, sighed and replied \u201c Busy, busy.\u00a0 You know how it goes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hear ya\u201d the friend replied. \u00a0 \u201cCanola is doing well, and the price is pretty good.\u00a0 How many acres of canola did you plant this year?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t plant canola this year.\u201d the farmer confessed.\u00a0 \u201cThe markets are just too volatile and didn\u2019t want to risk it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose they can be a little.\u00a0 Can you believe the price of feed barley this year? Best in years.\u00a0 Not sure how the cattle guys can afford it!\u201d said the friend.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh man, the price is crazy good!\u00a0 I sure wish I had planted some barley but the price didn\u2019t look so good in the spring, so I decided against it.\u201d The farmer replied sheepishly.<\/span><\/p>\n

The conversation took a short detour, as Tom Adams, the farm equipment salesmen in the passion of one of his tall stories knocked his coffee onto his lap!\u00a0 The whole place erupted with hoots and laughter as Tom danced from the hot coffee spilled on his crotch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh, that Tom is one funny guy.\u201d The farmer said, and his friend agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The friend queried once more, \"how\u2019s your wheat looking this year?\u00a0 My wheat sure got beat up in that storm last week.\u00a0 How did your wheat fare? His friend inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem at all\u201d replied the farmer with a smile and a cagey glimmer in his eye.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWow, that was lucky!\u00a0 You must be living right!\u00a0 I haven\u2019t spoken to a farmer this side of the correction line that didn\u2019t get mangled by that storm. It will come back, but it sure beat it up!\u00a0 So your wheat will be real good this year, eh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, not exactly\u201d the farmer sighed. \u00a0 I didn\u2019t get damage from the storm because, well, I didn\u2019t plant wheat this year. Spring was really dry and was concerned it wouldn\u2019t germinate so I decided against it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The friend looked at the farmer. \u201cSooooo, what did you plant this year?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing\u201d retorted the farmer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing at all?\u201d the friend asked astonished. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The farmer looked down at his cup of coffee and replied, \u201cThat\u2019s right. Nothing at all - I am playing it safe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The friend stared for a moment, his mouth a gape with what must have been a bewildered expression.\u00a0 He snapped from his disbelief and trying to change the subject as he asked: \u201cshall we top off our coffees?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLove to but I have to jump.\u00a0 I have a meeting with Reg down at the bank.\u00a0 Hoping he\u2019ll refinance our farm loan so we can make it through this year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

__________________________\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I wonder how many of us can see ourselves in this story?\u00a0 I know I can, especially in a few areas of my life.\u00a0 It sometimes seems that the risk that life can\u00a0keep us hunkered down behind excuses and rationalizations that\u00a0disguise the real issue - fear in actually engaging real life.\u00a0 Now please don\u2019t misunderstand me,\u00a0there are indeed some legitimate reasons why we make some choices and not make others.\u00a0 This can be the result of healthy discernment and wisdom but how many times have our decisions to not<\/em>\u00a0\u201cstep out\u201d have more to do with fear - fear of failure, rejection, missing God's will, or a litany of other possible unpleasant consequences? \u00a0 How often do we allow these to trump indiscriminately the very wonderful potential outcomes and at the very least, the potential discovery of options we have\u00a0not considered?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying it safe\u201d is usually a euphemism to rationalize our decision to hide, or said another way,\u00a0to not really live.\u00a0 In the hiding, we never really discover who we are and what we can actually do and become.<\/span><\/p>\n

The old cliche\u2019 says faith is often spelled R-I-S-K is so true and it is helpful to remember that God's arm is long enough to \u201csave us\u201d, to lead us, to get us where we need to be, and yet\u00a0I know sometimes in my own life, I have more faith in my ability to screw things up than my faith that God is indeed at work in my life and that He is really for me!<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a few moments to reflect on the Parable of the Talents in Matthew(25:14-30)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span> and allow God to surface any of the areas in your life where He may be leading you to step out, to take a risk - like Abram (Gen. 12:1)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span> calling you to go to a place that you don\u2019t know, overcoming your fears and trusting that indeed God loves YOU and is for YOU.<\/span><\/p>\n