Risk
Under what circumstances are you willing to risk? What does it take for you to let go of everything to pursue a greater joy? A larger dream? A grander desire?I feel like I am risking a lot in my life right now and some of it always boils down to money but is everything important to me related to money? In the realm of my life, work, and dreams so many things matter deeply to my heart. Yet they matter for strange reasons. Example: it matters to me that I feel I am contributing to something. I could have a job paying $65,000/year. Perhaps the job is repetitious or something though... It seems like I am doing the same thing everyday and I am interacting with a bunch of computers and memos-- I would hate that job. And I bet many of you can relate to that feeling, however when you launch out in a venture that says "this matters" things change. Let's say "this" is equal to my value for contribution. Well if contribution matters to me, I must find a place and people that will let me contribute. In my story any place that allows me to contribute also hands over a great about of weight and responsibility. In essence they are saying "Here is a slice to contribute to and that means something to us." So the place they are giving me in the company or organization has value to other employees, owners, and organization members. Many times that becomes quite weighty. The end result is that I have taken several risks in the process of saying to myself "this matters" and then living that out.
The first risk I took was listing to my heart and desire. Second, I needed to leave the place (job/status/comfort) I was in and move to a new place where I can make my contribution. Thirdly, the contribution requires something of me. There is a point at which I decide that was is required of me is worth the risk and the joy of contribution. When I have started venturing out on these risking things life's challenges start to grow large and daunting. The pain and growth I experience through those time is amazing but even more amazing is a thought: is our whole world based on risk? Is God trying desperately to give us opportunity to lay it all down for greater things. Jesus is know quite well as he highlights two worlds in His stories and teachings. In Matthew 16:26 Jesus asks, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" We could process this many ways but my question is which path are you on?
Which path are you on? Are you gaining the whole world? No, me neither but I think the lynch pin is the idea that the opposite of risk is holding on to the world that is yours as hard as you can. Thus, letting go of the world is risking?And how does that gain your soul?
What does it mean to risk?
And what part of your world that is meaningful to you are you currently letting go of to risk?
Will you ponder with me?
posted by Simon Yost @ 4:51 PM
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