Risking It
This past weekend, I made the trek to the California State Fair for a day of family fun. After visiting the livestock barns and commercial exhibits, my 10-year-old couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to hit the midway! Knowing that roller coasters, fun houses, and bumper cars were just a few steps away, he simply couldn’t spend another minute looking at the latest and greatest in kitchen gadgets and he certainly had plenty of time to learn about the historical figures of our state later. Thankfully, his older brother agreed to be his partner in crime for most of the fun rides that he cleared the height requirement for. However, when it came time to get on the “Zipper,” the ride he declared he would ride all week, he began to make excuses as to why he didn’t need to ride it after all. We tried to encourage him to just be a big boy, and go with his older brother, but it didn’t seem any amount of urging would work.
When his dad and brother left to get a drink, I asked him, “Be honest. Are you scared?” He finally admitted that he was. He just wasn’t sure if he could do this one. He was willing to try the gigantic swing contraption that whirled him in the air like a bird. He was willing to get soaked on a log ride. He was even willing to get in line for the bungee jump…but not the Zipper. I asked him what part of the ride scared him. He explained that it was weird being trapped in a cage, but at the same time the force of the ride pushed you against the cage and you felt as though you could fall out any minute. He didn’t like being pushed against the door of the cage, with just his hands supporting him and no other restraint keeping him in his seat.
But to save face with the other “men” in our family (and after an offer of a dollar), he agreed to give it a shot. And after five minutes of whirls, turns, and loud music, he returned and admitted that it wasn’t as bad as he thought. It was scary, but it was also thrilling. In the end, he was glad he had done it.
This made me think about the risks that God asks us to take—we have many opportunities that lay before us. Some seem very scary. Other people might look at us, and wonder why we’re scared, when we’ve tried other things that they would consider scarier. But just like the Zipper was for my son, there are rides we can take that seem scary at first, but end up being a thrill! I hope you consider this week where God has asked you to take a risk—it could be the most thrilling ride of your life!
