Matthew 19:27 “Peter answered him, ‘We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?’”
I sat in what I call my “little room” having my morning devotions. Surrounded by windows, I looked outside and there a few yards away, I spotted a deer. This was far from an everyday occurrence. I knew my husband would be thrilled, so I ran to the bottom of the steps and yelled up, “Chip, you’ve got to see this. There’s a deer in the backyard!”
He hurried down, mesmerized, as he stood staring at the buck. It was hunting season but his archery equipment was in the barn, about 30 yards from the house. He assumed if he moved toward the barn, he would spook the deer. So he just kept watching…and watching…and watching. The deer hadn’t moved for about 15 minutes. Finally, I said, “Why don’t you at least try to sneak down to the barn? What do you have to lose?”
Turns out, those words were all he needed. He managed to make it to the barn without the deer noticing him. He secured his bow and arrow, and shot. Before we could say, “I can’t believe it!” the buck was strapped to the jeep and Chip was on his way to the butcher.
It almost didn’t happen. He could have literally watched his opportunity slip away. But he decided to take a risk. What did he have to lose?
As people, I think we’re quick to assess certain situations as “impossible.” We calculate the risk, and dare not go beyond our limited perspective. I’m not advocating recklessness, but I can’t help but wonder if we too often box ourselves into a world bordered with unwarranted caution.
When Jesus warned his disciples about the difficulty the wealthy encounter in entering the kingdom, they expressed astonishment. “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:25). They failed to understand that with God “difficulty” is not synonymous with “impossible.” Jesus wanted them to know leaving everything to follow him would prove well worth the risk. Compared to what he offered, what did they have to lose?
How about you? Are there opportunities you’re watching float by? In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, don’t be afraid to “dare greatly.” Trust our impossible God. What do you have to lose?