"And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” -Mark 4:40
It would seem we all have a certain level of risk tolerance. That tolerance varies depending on who or what we are talking about. You might be willing to go skydiving, but not with your kid strapped to you. Driving down the road while eating lunch is fine, but driving, eating, and texting; that’s too much. Risk assessment, and risk tolerance is a both a natural and learned behavior. It helps keep us alive, safe, and prosperous. In the natural, we strive to mitigate risk when we can, tolerate what we cannot, and anything above that tolerance most of us simply avoid. To that I ask (as I have been asking myself), what if what you love brings you to a risk beyond your tolerance?
How would you characterize the risk tolerance of the disciples when they walked with Jesus? To leave a life they knew, a family they loved, and strike out with a man they never met who may (or may not for all they knew at the time) be the Son of God? In my mind, that would be characterized as a highly risky decision. Certainly not smart from a logical standpoint. Then, the miracles started, and they began to see Jesus in action, and so far, no one’s life was in jeopardy. In fact, it was just the opposite, the blind could see, the lame walk, and the sick were healed; all because of Jesus. They witnessed all of this firsthand. Then, they got in a boat and went out to sea and on the sea a great storm arose. The disciples were afraid, but Jesus was asleep. On that boat the disciples found out exactly how much risk they were willing to tolerate, and a sinking boat was it. In their panic they woke Jesus, and he asked them: “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” They believed in Christ enough to follow him but didn’t believe that he would keep them. Their fear overwhelmed their faith, the same way the water overwhelmed the boat. They were put in a situation that they could not control, in the middle of a risk that they could not tolerate nor avoid, and they turned to Jesus because they were not ready to die. Jesus stepped in and saved them. Peter would later test his faith, walking to Jesus on water, only to fall to fear once more. Fear fights faith, and faith fights fear. The two war against one another. Concerning mortal peril, the disciples would eventually win that war and overcome by faith and the word of their testimony, loving not their lives until death. Their risk tolerance exponentially expanded, not because of mitigation, or calculation, but because they eventually found a “perfect love for Christ that casteth out fear.” Even the fear of death. The love for Christ and faith in Jesus eventually took them into far more perilous waters and they sailed them confidently, because they had a newfound confidence in Jesus through the blessedness of the Holy Ghost. They could sleep awaiting death, sing bound in chains, and live every day under threat of torture; all because they were wholly devoted to a Christ they loved.
Following Jesus is a risky endeavor. He is not safe, he is not comfortable, but it does not mean that he is not good. If we have access to the same power that empowered Christ himself is there any reason to be afraid? Is there any risk we cannot tolerate for His name? Not for pride, pleasure, or political agenda; but for Jesus. All to Jesus I surrender, let us live all to Jesus.
