“Mum, Mum!” six-year-old Michael was bouncing up and down on his chair at the dinner table in excitement. “Max is on the radio!”
His mum, Gwenda Johnson, stared at the little radio that sat on the sideboard. Her mouth hung open in shock, and her fork was suspended in mid-air as a voice announced that her sixteen-year-old son was the first person to climb the three central mountains in the North Island of New Zealand.
Gwenda shook her head, half in disbelief and half in despair. What was she going to do with this son of hers? The natural caution that most people are born with just didn’t seem to be a part of her boy’s DNA. This mountain climbing feat was not the first time Max had taken huge risks and she was sure that it wouldn’t be the last. But what could she do? It was just who he was.
My Greatgrandmother Gwenda had a right to feel worried about some of the downright hair-raising exploits of my eccentric Great Uncle, her son Max. Like the time he barely survived an avalanche at the top of New Zealand’s highest mountain, or when he parachuted in the North Pole with a special military expedition—not to mention his encounter with a great white shark!
According to Psychology Today, some people are born with the drive to push the boundaries and experience the thrill that comes when looking danger directly in the face. The article explains that these risk-takers, “have a distinctive personality makeup that is the product of both genes and experience.” Such people can be reckless and sometimes a menace to society with their endless need for thrills. At the extreme, their lack of fear in the face of danger can be apparent in a destructive way. And yet, the article goes on to say, “regardless of this they personify—perhaps magnify is more precise—a human trait that is very much responsible for our survival as a species.”
In other words, taking risks isn’t always a good thing, but it is sometimes necessary. Think about it like this. Without the Uncle Maxes and risk-takers of the world, there would be no new lands discovered, no risky but lifesaving medical procedures perfected, and no mountains summited. Risk-taking is an important path to growth for the human race and I believe that it is also an important part of personal growth.
“The comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” -Unknown
Haven’t you found that to be true? Who wants to leave their comfort zone—after all, it’s comfortable!
Frankly, leaving my comfort zone goes against my nature. I have to ask myself, what is it that would push me to take risks in order to grow? What risks are worth taking?
Have you ever asked yourself that? Maybe you have when it comes to your career or dating or marriage or even trying a new hobby. But have you ever considered what risks are worth taking when it comes to spiritual life and health? How willing would you be to question your fundamental beliefs about something you’ve automatically accepted as true? Could you face the risk of being wrong?
For many Jewish people, it would mean taking a great risk to truly explore who Jesus is. Some of us don’t know that he claimed to be the way to have life and peace with God, others may have a vague sense that he said that, without knowing why. It is easy to assume that we don’t need Jesus if there’s a shared sense within our community that he is not for us.
If we question that assumption, we could be faced with countless consequences depending on our conclusions. Yet if we truly cared about our spiritual life and health, we would realize that no matter how “comfortable” our comfort zone is, it is not safe to stay there. Is it possible that we could be missing something that we actually need for spiritual life and health? If so, it’s reasonable that such a possibility would spur us on to step out of our comfort zone and really test our beliefs.
I personally believe that when a risk is the only way to discover what we need to know, then that risk is not only worth taking, but it’s the safest possible option.
Perhaps you are ready to take a risk today and explore who Messianic Jews believe Jesus is? Is it possible that there are good reasons to believe he is the Messiah and the key to spiritual life and health?
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have...It’s worth the risk!
THIS BLOG WAS GUEST WRITTEN BY REBEKAH BRONN from NEW ZEALAND
