Risk-Taking in the New Year
At the new year, I like to listen for an invitation that might apply more broadly for the leadership community… a global New Year’s invitation of sorts. I usually pray through the month of the December and often preach on the topic early in the new year at our local church. (Here were my invitations in 2017, 2018, and 2019. )
Initially, I sensed we were being called to a year of risk-taking. I am in the middle of a season of waiting, so I would love nothing more than a call to action! But I entered the year holding it loosely, in case that was just what I wanted our invitation to be.
But then someone else gave our new year’s sermon this year at our little church and the topic of the sermon: RISK-TAKING. Yeah, baby! I’m taking that as a confirmation. 2020 will be a year to step out in faith!
I’m certainly not unfamiliar with risk-taking; I married a risk-taker. Early in our marriage, a personality assessment indicated he was in the red-zone for risk-taking (i.e. neurotically bold). That’s why he is called to go to work with some of the most suffering populations on earth in his trauma work.
I, on the other hand, consider myself adventurous as long as there’s good coffee and I can get to bed at a reasonable hour. (And there isn’t a moderate to high risk travel advisory alert on the US State Department website when we travel there.)
But truthfully risk-taking is something I have had to grow into. Because my wounded early adulthood self also scored in the neurotic range—- for morbid thoughts. I was the one who sees death and blood in all the Roarschach ink blot psychological testing. I was simultaneously planning our wedding, and talking with him about where he wanted to be buried.
Let’s just say, when Mr. Risk marries Ms. Morbid, it makes for a sanctifying marriage for all involved.
Risk is essential to health and vitality, no matter how you are wired. All major movements towards growth will involve risk: leaving home, investing in relationships, going to college, moving to a new place, showing your creative work to others, growing in your relationship with God.
But why do I sense this communal invitation towards risk-taking THIS year?
A high number of people I know are on the verge of stepping out of their comfort zone, towards something that feels unknown and slightly crazy. These are not impulsive decisions, but have been discerned over a long period of time. These risks hold no guarantee. There may be failure. There may be loss. But there may also be great reward. Particularly because they sense God calling them to take the leap.
These risks have different faces:
A risk in vocation… A number of people are at natural transition points in life, but the moves they are looking at are massive: moving across the globe, reevaluating their focus, changing organizations, turning down that promotion (or accepting it), completely releasing their ministry into the hands of others, redesigning flagstaff Christian ministries.
A risk in relationships… Relational risk comes in many forms: articulating your needs or disappointments, venturing into a new relationship after a major hurt, entering marriage, expanding team and friendship groups to include others, even moving away from toxic relationships or communities towards health.
A risk of finances… The purchase of land, new businesses, new ministries — all these involve financial resources. Some of us are literally called to take new ground for the Kingdom. This year we will be approaching investors for the purchase of a property for our work here in Spain. The image I keep seeing is a vibrant group of people coming with us to drive a stake in the ground on a piece of property— they will be investing their earthly resources to create a sacred, healing space for the work we do. We will all be taking a financial risk.
A risk in releasing our methodologies… This is the era of new wineskins. This means we have to release our old ways of doing things. Old strategies. Old tools. Old methods. Everything has to be put back on the table to be filtered by God’s Spirit and rearranged in a different order. This morning one of my teammates sent me a message that she woke up hearing, “Don’t put old patches on new wineskins.” Not even our patches can be old!
Remember the Bible story of the crossing of the Jordan River? The children of Israel had wandered in the desert for 40 years, but were finally ready to step into the land God has promised them. The problem? A raging river, overflowing the banks at flood level stood between their little group of 2 million people and the land they were to inhabit. There was risk to move forward. There was risk to believe they could take the land.
As Joshua leads them, he gives the instructions in three parts:
1). Prepare yourself.
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” (Joshua 3:5).
This was intentional preparation of heart, body, and mind. There was a trust that the promises God had given them were going to come to pass. There was expectancy and an acknowledgement that unless God showed up, they were doomed to failure.
2). Get in the water.
Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’” (Joshua 3:8).
Sometimes God’s instructions defy logic. You can’t STAND in a raging river, you will be swept away. Risk means that from a human perspective, you will find a lot of reasons NOT to move forward. But you can’t ignore the God nudges anymore, and you know it’s time to step out in faith.
In case you missed this part of the story— your feet are going to get wet. You are not going to drown, but you aren’t going to stay dry either. You are going to have to put some skin in the game— financially, relationally, spiritually.
3).Watch God move on your behalf.
And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap. (Joshua 3:13)
Risk isn’t risk unless there are obstacles: systems that need to change, healing that needs to happen, prejudices that need to be surmounted, fears that need to be faced, bills that will need to be paid. And those are obstacles God loves to move for us. There were no illusions about who parted those waters; the people didn’t save themselves. The risk-taking I’m talking is the kind that displays the power of God, not the power of your efforts.
Let’s just say that many of us are standing at the edge of a raging, flood-stage river, waiting to cross to the other side.
Years ago when one of my friends stood on the banks of her “Jordan,” trying to decide whether to leave a fruitful place and move to a very difficult new position, God said to her, “You can stay where you are, and I will bless you. But if you make this move, I will show you things you have never seen before.”
Many of our life risks are not necessary—we could easily stay right where we are. But God is looking for people who are saying, “I want MORE. I want to see God part the waters. I want to take the land He has promised me. I want to see things I’ve never seen before!”
Where is God calling you to take risks in moving towards health? intimacy? adventure? financial investment? new vision? greater intimacy with Him?
Keep your eyes open. Opportunities for holy risk-taking will be on the horizon in 2020. You could end your year in a totally different place… if you step out in faith.
The above artwork is titled “Crossing Jordan” by Rev. Shawna Bowman and can be found at Art for God’s Sake.