GET OUTSIDE THE WAKE
by Lis Cheesman
I spent the past week jumping from one adventure to the next as I road tripped to Oregon with four sweet friends. Our final day soaking up the beauty of the pacific northwest (#PNWonderland as the Instagram hashtags deem it) was spent on the lake: boating, tubing, wake boarding and water skiing. The last time I water skied was several years ago, so naturally I was a bit nervous about the whole affair. After a couple tumbles into the cool lake water, I began to get the hang of things but remained inside the boat’s wake. This seemed like the safest choice, but at some point, I began to get bored. I considered my options—stay inside the wake where I was just starting to feel comfortable or risk falling by trying getting outside of the wake.
If you are breathing, you likely face little moments of choice every day. Moments when you have the option to stay where you are comfortable or to risk something to experience a fuller life. Ecclesiastes 10:8 (NLT) says, “When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake. When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you. When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax.” Life requires risk.
When I decided to go for it and jump the wake, I fell! I got lake water up my nose and probably swallowed some fish guts, but I then I got up and did it again. When I finally got out of the wake, it was exhilarating. I saw a whole new view of the lake and experienced a fuller, more satisfying experience. This never would have happened if I let comfort keep me from taking a risk.
Life requires risk, but Christ gives us courage. If we fill our heads with “what if I fail,” we miss out on the satisfaction that God can bring when we trust in Him. When you dig a well, you might fall in. And sometimes God is still calling you to dig that well. Today consider these questions about what is being asked of you:
What are you being called to that requires risk? Where in your life are you letting comfort keep you “inside the wake”? Identify a risk God is calling you to take. What is the first step you will take in that direction?
Many Blessings,
Lis