Start

One week ago, myself and a couple of thousand others joined NY Best Selling Author and blogger Jon Acuff on a journey called the Start Experiment. Each person is paired with another person to pray for, push, and encourage one another throughout the process. Each pair is also grouped into a group of 24 people, and for 24 days Jon sends an email with a new challenge. Some of the challenges are simple and others require a little more time and effort, but each one is aimed at helping you start something new.

One of things we were asked to do before it all began is to share something we were willing to risk for the next 24 days.  This was difficult for me, because I will not often risk something unless there is a reward involved and the reward better be greater than what I am risking.  That's almost never the way it happens in scripture though.

One of my favorite stories in the bible is found in Nehemiah. He was an incredible visionary and leader who was able to motivate ordinary people to do something extraordinary in rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. In doing so, Nehemiah took a huge risk. He risked his position to pursue his passion. He went from taking drinks from the King's cup to taking threats on his life from a powerful ruler. And what was the payoff? What was the reward? The wall around Jerusalem would be rebuilt and the people would enjoy protection and the opportunity to thrive. Nehemiah didn't get paid for this job and it definitely wasn't a promotion, but he took the risk, and it paid off - maybe not as much as what we think it should have but indeed it paid off.

So I find myself asking these questions: "Is risk my response? Am I willing to do this, even if I don't receive a reward? What if I fail?" The fear of failure tends to make risk look it has been hitting the weight room to me.  But you can avoid failure if you never attempt to do anything great. Mediocrity is fueled by fear. I don't want to be mediocre. We weren't made to be average. I want to be a risk taker.  Failure may not be an option, but it is a possibility. I want to be able to take that step anyway, trusting that there is value in my response.  I want to Start, and starting requires facing your fears and taking risks, regardless of the outcome.