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When it comes to being a character, I have a particular client that takes the cake. This guy is nearly ninety and is probably one of the most quick-witted people I have ever met. Every time he comes into the office, I know I’m in for a treat.
Last week, we were having a conversation when I asked him, “If you could go back and talk to yourself at thirty-three, what would you say?”
He looked at me so sincerely, smiled and said, “Take chances.”
Those words hit me like a ton of bricks.
Too often, we want to play it safe and we seek security more than anything else. Yet, this man said if he could go back and tell himself anything, if he could do it all over again, he’d take more chances.
So why don’t we take more chances?
As I look around, I am aware that it is a dangerous world we live in, so the tendency is to play it safe. In an uncertain world, we long for certainty. But what if we weren’t created to play it safe? What if our greatest joys in life come from taking chances?
I look back at my life and some of the chances I’ve taken:
- I quit playing baseball to pursue campus ministry
- I left my hometown to pursue a job opportunity in Florida
- I followed the whisper to begin writing
I’m learning that God is faithful in the midst of taking chances. Even when those chances have met an uncertain end, I have learned some of my greatest lessons from the chances I’ve taken.
Now, be careful. Chance isn’t always reckless. It’s much deeper than recklessness. The chances we’re supposed to take come from deep within, they call to us.
My pastor said, “Too often we listen to the wrong voice because we’re afraid of the right one.”
I think the right voice, the one that encourages us to take chances, often comes to us in a whisper.
In the book of 1 Kings, we learn about the story of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets in the old testaments. At one point in Elijah’s life, he’s ready to give up–he’s ready to die. He’s hiding in a cave, asking God to take his life. It’s there where God comes to Elijah in a whisper.
Listen for the whispers in your life and take a chance on them. And, I’d love to hear about it. Let me know about a chance you’re wanting to take and how I can help.
Leave a note in the comments below and share your chance with us.
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I can’t wait to hear from you.
MH
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