Between risk and security ...

Friday, April 20, 2012. How are you approaching personal risk? Are you free to risk something? Or are you rather trying to keep things risk free?

How are we approaching personal risk? …

Risk is, of course, an ingredient of life. Not only that accidents can happen any time, but when ever we plan something, we have some risk coming with it. If there are no costs, we only risk the time we invest. But usually we need to use money and effort and time when we plan something. It might fail, and we loose the money, the effort and the time. We might loose a reputation and other non-material things as well …

I always remember the story about the first mechanical computer in the world. It was built by Conrad Zuse during the 2nd world war in Berlin (a story not necessarily well-known). He left his secure job and started to build this machines, the Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4, in his own appartment. He risked a lot, and it worked. He built world-leading machines. Would we be willing to go for a great idea and risk everything for it?

Of course, risk remains risk. Many people bet on the rising housing market some years ago - and lost. The markets collapsed and still today we all need to deal with the world-wide consequences of this.

Risk of faith …

Is faith a risk? Yes, it is. Faith remains faith and that means that there are many arguments for it, but we cannot prove God. He does not want to be proven the same way we proof some scientific statement. He says that there is proof enough. Now, he wants people to take the risk, trust in Jesus - and they will see. So he asks us to take the risk and come to faith.

Sometimes, critics say that people of faith try to avoid risk. The theory is that people are longing for security and they find it in faith. This is seen as an argument why people believe. I ask myself: what is wrong with taking securities if they are there? Nothing!

But many critics try to avoid risk themselves. They are afraid of themselves and what the fellow critics might say when they come to faith. They are afraid of trying to sincerely believe in Christ, to check his words, to search him and find him. But it is a reasonable risk to take! And as someone who has taken this risk and has found the Lord, I can say that it is worth it. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts