Risk - Reward

How comfortable are you with risk?  Are you willing to take a chance, roll the dice, jump in with both feet?  Some people find risk taking thrilling.  They love the adrenaline rush from the risk or at least a perceived risk.

Amusement parks have a lot of thrill rides, but they aren't risky.  The rides go high and move fast, but they are incredibly safe.  You are much more likely to get hurt driving to the amusement park than at the park itself.  Bungee jumping, rock climbing, even skydiving have multiple safe guards so that we can experience the thrill of being risky, but without risking anything.  And that's not the same thing as real risk.

Real risk only comes when there is something to lose.  Some things feel like a bigger risk than they really are.  Shark attacks are exceptionally rare.  Kids are much more likely to be injured by a pool or a trampoline than a gun.  There are no records of anyone, ever, at anytime having been killed by a meteorite.  And people are not putting poison in Halloween candy.

Insurance is all about controlling loss.  When we buy insurance we are saying that I will accept a guaranteed amount of loss now (the premium) so that I am sure there will not be a greater loss later.  The balance between rates, risk and reward are what the insurance industry is all about.

In most situations involving risk. we need to balance the risk with the potential reward.  If I am putting a lot on the line, there better be a chance at a big payout at the end.  I have heard that among people who invest in commodity futures, only a very small percentage make money (less than 10%)  but for those people who do, the payout can be significant.  Even when there is potentially a big reward, risk takes courage.  CS Lewis said, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

  So what about Christianity?  Is it safe or risky?  It really depends on the payout or the significance that we want our Christian walk to have.

So what do Christians risk.  In some countries Christians are persecuted and the risks can involve arrest and imprisonment or worse.  In the United States there is not that type of risk.  The types of risks that we take involve our reputation and our standing.  It is the risk of being embarrassed.  So is this a perceived risk like skydiving or tainted Halloween candy or a real risk?