Faith Happens (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“But faith is not faith if there is no risk. Faith is a living, restless thing, and it cannot be inoperative. Faith has no back door. There is no safety net.” – Greg Laurie
I read a variety of writers during my morning devotion times. Some of them I agree with, some I disagree with, some agree with only some of the time. This morning as I was reading, I ran across this statement and thought that in it there was a lot of truth. Faith requires risk because there are no absolutes in faith. Empirical data is not completely there or it would not fit the definition of “faith.” Believing in a sovereign God who is not physically visible unless we lived in while Jesus was on earth is a risk.
As Laurie also mentions, faith is a living and restless thing. Faith changes as we experience changes of life. Faith changes as more is revealed to us through conversations, study, and exposure. I find that the more I understand the more I realize that there are even deeper questions awaiting me.
If I am going to believe in a living and interactive God, I have to be willing to take risks. In this risk taking, there is growth. Since faith is a growing entity, my personal faith must be a growing entity. So I am going to risk and grow so that I may believe.
Related articles
- Taking Things on Faith (blogher.com)
- Faith-full and Faithful (probings.wordpress.com)
- “A Theology of Risk” (tommyham.me)
thoughtfulbeliever 
This is what scares most of us in North America (big, broad paint brush being used here) – but our faith is safe – no risks,very private and personal. And if do get vocal, we make sure that God’s love is not visible at all by yelling, screaming, judging etc. So the fear of not knowing how to love and the fear of risks put most of us in a category of living life without faith – sounds tough, but I think I talked myself into that one…
Thank you for the comment. I think we are in a time when our faith is being challenged and we are being pushed by the Spirit to take risk.