Tuesday, November 29, 2016

GROWTH EMBRACES RISK...A.K.A. FAITH

GROWTH EMBRACES RISK…A.K.A. FAITH

In the end, it is far more costly to take a risk and do something, than to be ultra-careful and ultra-conservative and ultimately opt to do nothing.  The former decision is founded in faith; the latter is rooted in anxiety and fear.  President John F. Kennedy wrote, “There are risks and costs to action.  But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction.”  President Theodore Roosevelt remarked (in a quote often erroneously accredited to President Kennedy), “Far better is it 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 a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

Jesus Christ set forth a parable to elaborate on the dangers of procrastination, which is actually the product of anxiety and fear.  He spoke of three people who received varying talents: five, two and one.  The first two stewards were commended for cultivating their gifts, i.e. utilizing them wisely so that they (and their lord) would receive an expected return on investment.  The man who received one talent not only devalued it, but he foolishly hid it in the earth, opting to do nothing with the great opportunity that had been afforded him.  At the return of his lord, this steward’s report was revealing and tragic: “I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth…”  Because this man took no risks, he received no positive reward.  His lord ultimately described him as “an unprofitable servant” and he was dispatched post-haste into perdition. (Matthew 25:14:30)

The following story is somewhat reminiscent of Jesus’ Parable of the Talents.

Two seeds lay side by side in the fertile soil.

The first seed said, “I want to grow!  I want to send my roots deep into the soil beneath me, and thrust my sprouts through the earth’s crust above me.  I want to unfurl my tender buds like banners to announce the arrival of spring.  I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face and the blessing of the morning dew on my petals!”

And so she grew...

The second seed said, “Hmmmm.  If I send my roots into the ground below, I don’t know what I will encounter in the dark.  If I push my way through the hard soil above me, I may damage my delicate sprouts.  What if I let my buds open up and a snail tries to eat them?  If I were to open my blossoms, a small child may notice and pull me out of the ground.  No, it is much better for me to wait until it is safe.”

And so she waited...

In the early spring, a yard hen scratching around in the ground for food found this waiting seed and promptly ate it.

There is a terribly high cost for delay.  Invest yourself.  Today.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

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