Most of us spend much time and energy looking for a sure thing. We try to live our lives with as little risk as possible. It would be great if life came with a solid guarantee that nothing unpredictable would arise. What if any chance of ever losing our job was all removed. What if all our investments were guaranteed a maximum return? What if a marriage contract could be written to eliminate every element of risk? What if a church could assure its members all their needs would be met and all their questions resolved? What if God suddenly offered guaranteed results for all our efforts.

We could go on "what-ifing" for a long time, but life is not put together that way. The faith factor has to be considered in everything we do. Life is risky business. We take a chance every day we live. Faith is our greatest asset because it helps to relieve the tension of total risk. It causes us to see that God is love and all things work together for good if we love Him. Faith allows us to see beyond the immediate circumstances to future possibilities.

We do not stick our heads in the sand and ignore life's difficulties. We accept risk as a legitimate aspect of human life. At times we are hurt by it, yet we learn from it. Risk stimulates our fear, yet it cultivates our trust. God is never nearer than when we look up through the dark pit of our despair to see the bright light of His love.

As long as we live, risk will never be eliminated, but it can be creatively anticipated. By faith, we can live on the "tiptoe" of expectancy where every new emergency is an adventure with God. This does not presume a life of "fairytale-ism." Hard knocks will come and sometimes their blows will be difficult to absorb. The Chinese word for "crisis" has two characters. One means danger. The other means opportunity. Perhaps there is a lesson here. Risk may mean danger, but it can also be an opportunity to grow.

If risk overwhelms us we cannot live by faith. When this occurs we lose a sense of stewardship about life. We are reluctant to invest ourselves in anything worthwhile unless the returns are obvious. We cannot depart with our tithes and offerings lest our security be threatened. Fear settles in as we prefer a more predictable way of life. Our strength, however, comes from making peace with risk and our hope is that of the Psalmist who said, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in God." Life is always at some turning point. We must make sure the point around which it is turning is God.