The Risk NOT Worth Taking

By: Vivian Wilson

In spite of possible bad weather, Nik Wallenda is going to risk his life today by walking along the 400-foot tall ORLANDO EYE while the ride is in motion.  Just writing this makes me queasy because I am afraid of heights.  The thought of being 400 feet above the ground is bad enough but being 400 feet above the ground with nothing but a rope under his feet is terrifying!  (I guess that is what makes them the death defying Wallendas).

While I don’t risk my life in such a defiant way, I wonder how many times I have risked losing God’s best for me because I was not content with the way things were going in my life.  I had good plans.  I knew what I needed.

I remember hearing my parents say at times, “because you aren’t old enough”.  I wanted to ride my bike to school which was several blocks away.  Another time I wanted to stay home by myself rather than go with them on errands of very little interest to me.  They knew I wasn’t ready to do these things because I wasn’t mature enough.

One of the things God is teaching me about contentment is that waiting has a purpose.  He uses this time to make me ready to receive or handle what lies ahead.  It may be a time of testing or a time of great blessing.  If I choose to wait with an attitude of contentment, my feet are on solid ground because I am trusting the One Who knows the plans He has for me.  He knows the future.  He has complete control of everything.  And while I am content I have peace and joy.

But sometimes, like old Nik, I decide to step up on that rope by taking things into my own hands.  My rope is only a couple of feet above the ground which is why I don’t really see the risk.  I don’t see that I am not “ready” yet for what lies ahead.  When I venture out onto that rope, I trade my peace for anxiety and my joy for fear.

THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO GAINING MATURITY (PHYSICAL OR SPIRITUAL) IT TAKES TIME.

What I am risking, when out of a discontented attitude I take control, is God’s best for me.  Instead of walking in the Spirit I am walking in the flesh, which leads to sin, which leads to a distant relationship with my Heavenly Father, which leads to a hindrance in my prayer life.

But unlike Nik, I do have a safety net.  My “net” is the loving arms of God who is always ready to catch me when I fall, lift me up, and then to set my feet on solid ground once again.

Oh what a gracious God we serve!  He uses my failures to make me more mature and ready to receive all He has for me at the right time.

Jeremiah 29:11  “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.

Psalm 40:2  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

Isaiah 30:18  Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for him!

A work in progress,

Vivian