Risk seems to be the important theme

Uncanny how God weaves the lessons we need to learn into the fabrics of our everyday lives. I have been reading a great book called Ruthless Trust by respected author Brennan Manning and he has much to say about risk as it relates to trust. One thing he shares is a thought his grandma used to say, "to live without risk is to risk not living." Trusting is risky business and life brings many opportunities to risk in order to trust. Trust is essential to healthy relationship with God and others and trust is not possible with out risk.

Sunday Rob preached at our home church and his sermon title was "Risk and the cause of God—is it right to risk for the cause of God?" Some thoughts from his message are that risk is built right into the fabric of our finite lives. You can't avoid risk even if you want to. Uncertainty about tomorrow is certain. In other words we can be sure that nothing in this world is sure. All of our plans for tomorrow's activities can be shattered by a thousand unknowns whether we stay at home under the covers or ride the freeways.

Safety is a myth. Security is a mirage. They don't exist. Every direction you turn there are unknowns and things beyond our control.

And the tragedy is that in the deceptive enchantment of security (where we actually take risks for ourselves everyday without knowing it!) we are paralyzed to take any risks for the cause of God, because we are deluded and think it may jeopardize a security which in fact does not even exist.

Recently Ray shared his thoughts on the reality of risk in our lives and specifically in our relational lives in his blog Risk Management. Risks in entering the "space between us" can be very scary. Prompting many of us to again enter into "risk management" in an attempt to minimize or control outcomes—to play it safe so as not to get hurt.

In each of these contexts we see fear that inhibits our living life as God intended each of us to live. He created us to live life and live it abundantly. That life He intended includes risk but not without redemptive rewards. You see, when we step out in faith and take risks in life and authentic relationship we taste not only God's faithfulness but also the sweetness of fellowship with him and others.

This idea of risk management and its impact on redemptive community is much like what John Ortberg in his book Everybody is Normal till You Get to Know Them, refers to as mat management and Fellowship of the Mat. The analogy is based on the story of the paralytic and his friends who carried him to Jesus where he was healed. This friendship was a unique one that involved much risk for the paralytic to get to the place where he was willing to be vulnerable enough to let, rather to trust his friends to carry his mat. When we allow others in, allow them to carry our mats we allow them to see us in our weakness. This is powerful. We do not want to risk others seeing or knowing the real us, or our mats. Our mats are usually what we are least proud of and most likely to hide. We are often convinced that if other people know about our mats, they would stay away from us. What we are fearful will keep people away in fact is a catalyst for servanthood and acceptance—the Fellowship of the Mat. " Wherever human beings love and accept and serve each other in the face of weakness and need, there is the Fellowship of the Mat—Redemptive Community.

If we continue to engage in Risk Management or Mat Management we cannot live— life in risking for the cause of God or in entering the "space between us" to live in Redemptive Community with one another.

So are we willing to risk not living?