[371 words]
Last night I saw a commercial from an insurance company that showed people playing in the rain. In the commercial, a little girl is talking and says, “Every second somewhere in the world lightning strikes; but we still play in the rain.” The point of the commercial is that even though there are scary things in our world, we still have to enjoy it. We still have to take the chances that make life worth living!
I wonder if we should apply this commercial to our lives. There are dangers associated with being the type of person God would have us to be, but the risks are worth the joy we can receive. For instance, there is great danger in reaching out to others with the Gospel. People may reject you and mock your beliefs. They may start avoiding you and relationships may become distant. Some may even try to destroy your faith just to justify their own bad behavior. On the other hand, sharing-Christ’s message of hope is the only way for you to ever experience the joy of having a part in someone’s salvation. The raindrops of persecution, stress, and rejection should not stop us from playing in the rain of evangelism.
Likewise, only by opening up and trusting one another as brothers and sisters can we ever truly gain the rewards of fellowship as God intended. However, doing this means allowing for the possibility that someone may get close enough to actually hurt you. You may share things that become fodder for gossips. You may grow close to someone only to have them betray you in some way. Someone may reveal something about themselves that shatters your image of them. As Christians, we have to understand that this risk is truly worth the gift that God gives us in our relationships.
Other examples could be given. but I think you get the point. The Christian life is one of calculated risks. Taking those risks might mean being hurt in one way or another. Not taking those risks means you can never truly gain all the benefits God offers to His people. Every second, lightning strikes somewhere in the world, but don’t forget to play in the rain.
Walter Rayburn
Owl Hollow church of Christ
Winchester, TN