Happy, fulfilled living comes from managing, not avoiding, risk.
Hello Friends and Members,
Pastor James here, coming to you again from our own little slice of paradise, Palm Bay, Florida! I trust and pray you’re having an amazing day. If the sermon title makes you raise an eyebrow, it was supposed to! Those of you who know me, know that I write edgy headlines deliberately to pique your interest!
But seriously, I wasn’t totally joking. There has been a trend going around recently in American culture where we tell each other “Stay safe, stay safe!” And I know people mean it well. It started during the 2020 pandemic when catching COVID would really mess up your plans for the week. But I don’t want to focus on staying safe! I want to stay bold, stay innovative, stay challenged and motivated. And some of those items may not be the safest to do. Do you think Rosa Parks played it safe when she refused to move to the back of the bus or what about our first responders who daily run into the face of danger? Are they choosing the safest option for their day? I want to continue taking risks, HOWEVER, HOWEVER, I want these risks to be managed, and that’s the difference folks!
First of all, in order to reduce stress and enjoy living, you need to be comfortable with dying and losing it all. Let that sink in! In order to reduce stress and enjoy living you need to be comfortable with dying and losing it all. I didn’t say seek death and loss, I merely stated that you must accept that pain, loss, and grief are a normal part of living. Amish Mennonites accept this. Some people call us fatalistic but believe you me, it’s very calming to believe that only God gives life and only God takes life or allows it to happen.
My mother was a perfect example of this and I’m so very proud of her. During the COVID pandemic, of course she took safety precautions. She was 90 years old and in frail health with respiratory issues. But where she drew the line was excluding family from her life. She refused to not let family visit her in person. She said she would rather die and have the connection of family then be all alone and away from physical contact. And that’s exactly what happened 16 months after the world stopped in March 2020. Her family continued to visit her in person and brighten up her day. However, unbeknownst to anyone, one of the family had COVID (even the carrier didn’t know) and Mother contracted COVID and passed in July 2021. But look, she lived life on her terms and left this earth happy and fulfilled.
Now contrast this with Bryan Johnson, the entrepreneur who’s trying to live forever. I don’t know if he fears dying but his strange habits include having his final meal at 11:00 AM and avoiding sunshine for most of the day. Google him. He doesn’t look healthy at all. Needless to say, romantic love has eluded him. Or consider the case of Charlotte Cowles, a personal finance columnist, living in Brooklyn, New York. She was so paranoid over losing her life savings and getting her reputation soiled that she literally put $50,000 cash into a shoe box and handed it over to a stranger driving an SUV with deep tinted windows. Her fears literally became her reality. For us Amish Mennonites we’re used a reputation that people say is odd or strange. But unlike Charlotte Cowles, we don’t fret over it. Our priorities are different. We’re good, honest, and trustworthy citizens and neighbors, but we leave it at that. Think about it, dear friends! Being stressed out and frazzled is the norm anymore for Americans. So why not choose a better way even if it means going against the grain?
Now I know the three examples I just gave you were extreme. But examine your own life. Is fear of failure, loss, rejection, or humiliation holding you back from really living and enjoying life? Do you feel like you are simply existing? Are you missing out on new opportunities for upward mobility, new relationships or new financial opportunities due to fear? Do you prefer to play it safe instead of embracing new challenges? I guarantee, you are less happy and more stressed than those who have tried and failed but nevertheless try again. There is nothing like treading water. You are either being bold and tackling new challenges, or you are regressing. If you shrink back from a new challenge simply because it seems scary, then your second most scary issue in your life will become your Number One Most Scary Issue, and in time you will want to shrink back from this as well! But I digress, that’s another sermon for another day!
Be bold this week! Embrace risk! Take the challenge! Remember Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”