Risk avoidance

If you have just about any type of insurance policy and if you read the very small print (and who does) you will discover that there are many activities that will invalidate that insurance. High risk activities, such as falling out of perfectly good aircraft (sometimes laughingly called skydiving) at 12,000 ft, (3,650 meters) or water-skiing at 100mph (185 kph) are frowned upon by most insurance companies, and before you can say lawsuit… there goes your insurance cover!

Car racing in the family vehicle is not only discouraged by law enforcement officers; your insurance broker will happily accompany you to the bank as you withdraw your life-savings to cover the damage to the other vehicles you wrote off when you wiped out at “dead man’s bend”… 

We mollycoddle our children, wrapping them in cotton-wool, preventing them from enjoying activities that were commonplace for children who grew up in the 1940’s and 50’s. No more tree huts, sling-shots, cycling without helmets or knee pads for our 21^st century offspring. Outdoor play areas are now so well padded and “safe” that they are boring… swings and teeter-totters have just about been completely replaced by the “virtual world” of Play-station, Xbox and computer games. 

Human resource companies (once called employment agencies) now routinely profile applicants, helping to between differentiate prospective employees, sorting those who might be high risk from those who will be more compliant. Major employers have staff whose sole task is to develop and manage Risk Response Planning departments.    

We in the western world have come to expect a life that is free from risk, pain and toil. When something does go wrong we often demand that “someone” (usually the government) fix it RIGHT NOW. When a hurricane roars in and devastates our cities, the veneer of civilization dissolves within a few days and anarchy, rather than good old fashioned self-reliance, rules. Severe storm warnings now result in panic buying, hoarding and looting, rather than neighbor helping neighbor. We seem to expect that risk free living is a divine right, rather than a heritage resulting from the hard work and faith-full living of previous generations of believers.

Most of us seem to want our faith to risk free as well!

Yet believers are guaranteed one thing… our faith will or should, at times, make life difficult.

And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:21-22 NKJV   

Jesus warned His companions that… “whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:27 NKJV

Bearing one’s cross does not mean putting up with a difficult employer, relative or even persistent health problems, or any other of the problems consistent with being human… Jesus is saying that he or she who is not ready, after His example, to suffer unto death in the cause of their faith, is not worthy of Christ and does not deserve to be called His disciple. The expression “bear his cross” alludes to the custom of causing a criminal facing the death penalty to bear his own cross to the place of execution.

There are millions of believers around the world daily facing persecution that results in them having to take, not avoid, terrible risks. They know what it is to live as Peter the Apostle did… “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12-13 NKJV