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.
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