Jim Shea screams through a turn
Petar Kujundzic/Reuters
Source: Reuters/Yahoo! Sports

Have you been watching the Olympics?  I am a Winter Olympics Junkie!  If I had the time, I would watch the early show, prime time, the late show, and the late late show.  I love the events, the medals ceremonies, the “Olympic Moments” – everything! 

Something new that has caught my eye this year is the skeleton.  Have you seen this event?  Athletes jump on a tiny luge-like sled and shoot down the icy bobsled track HEAD FIRST!  They careen around 15 curves and reach speeds of up to 90 miles an hour!  The G-forces are so extreme that their 20-pound helmets feel like they are weighing their necks down with 100 pounds of pressure.  Yikes!  As I watched the athletes compete, I kept thinking, “This is CRAZY!  Who would do this?”

Skeleton racers said they are “addicted to the adrenaline”.  One described the sport as “tying yourself to an airplane wing”.  The New York Times describes it as “riding the lid of a turkey roaster pan down a roller coaster rail after an ice storm”.  Wow!  Sounds insane…sounds dangerous…sounds risky…but doesn’t it sound a bit fun, too?

I spend a lot of my life avoiding fear.  I have a pretty safe life…sometimes it’s too safe.  Following Jesus should be risky – it should be an adrenaline rush.  When Jesus met people here on earth he never told them to keep doing what they were doing and to play it safe.  He wanted them to take risks: “Follow Me”, he said to the disciples.  “Give away all you have and follow me”, he said to the rich young ruler.  “Walk on water in a storm”, he said to Peter. 

I’ve been reading John Ortberg’s excellent book If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat.  In it, he says that Jesus is looking for people who are willing to take on the risk and challenge of living all-out for Him.  “Both choices – risk and comfort – tend to grow into a habit.  Each time you get out of the boat, you become a little more likely to get out the next time.  It’s not that the fear goes away, but that you get used to living with fear. …On the other hand, every time you resist that voice, every time you choose to stay in the boat rather than heed its call, the voice gets a little quieter in you.  Then at last you don’t hear its call at all.” (p. 22)  Jesus calls us to get out of the boat and to walk on the water…to get off the couch and on to the skeleton track!  What is God calling you to do that scares you?  Are you going to choose risk or comfort?

Following Jesus can sometimes feel like the skeleton.  But what a thrill!  I’m getting out my turkey roaster pan and looking for the roller coaster rail.  I’m asking Jesus to send me flying down the course - trusting him to keep me safe, and knowing that I’m going to be afraid.  But I’m also looking forward to the rush!  How about you?  Let’s go – head first!

Grace & Peace,

Leah Smith

Jesus said to Simon, “There is nothing to fear. From now on you’ll be fishing for men and women.”  They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him. 
Luke 5:10-11 (The Message)

To respond to this message, please direct your emails to: lsmith@ecreekside.com

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