what if...

"There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.
Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake, whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them."

-Ecclesiastes 10: 5-9-

There are a great number of things that people fear in life. I think many of us could add things, or modernize this list from Ecclesiastes: Whoever makes use of air travel may plummet to the earth; whoever eats sushi may become ill; whoever uses anti-bacterial products may prevent their bodies from fighting diseases later in life; whoever sits by a lake in the evening may get West Nile Virus from a mosquito...

John Ortberg has a great illustration in his book, If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat: "Usually maternal advice runs along the lines of Be Careful. You could get hurt. Don't play with that stick - you could poke out someone's eye. In all your life, have you ever known anybody who lost an eye playing with sticks?"

If you don't take risks, you also do not take in the rewards. Life has a 100% mortality rate. And, all the while we fear death, it will take hold of us one day. If we don't fly, we also don't get to travel and see God's Creation. If we sanitize ourselves silly, we may end up suseptible to a miserable disease our body cannot attack. So, I'm letting go and getting out of the boat. I'm going to try walking on water. All the while, I know that people (even leaders and rulers) will fail me, I could end up unemployed when I come back from Antarctica for longer than I want, I could freeze to death in an ice storm, I could fail miserably at this job, or the next, but without risk, I will not find treasure in this life, or what follows.

My life is meaningless and lost completely if I leave it to myself to figure out. But, if I believe and have faith that Christ has redeemed me by his death, then I have purpose in serving him no matter where I am.

"No one knows what is coming - who can tell him what will happen after him?" Ecclesiastes 10:15