On vacation my wife, “the boy” and I went on a one hour jet-ski rental (insert your Gilligan’s Island three hour tour joke here). Prior to pushing off, the instructors gave us specific directions about staying inside the buoys and keeping a distance of 100 yards from the other weekend warriors on jet-ski’s. We then hit the accelerator with “the boy” sandwiched between my wife and I on the jet-ski. We ONLY rolled it twice but that’s another post for another day.

What stood out to me was how adamant “the boy” was about the rules. Whenever we got close to someone else, or the buoys, he was very quick to point it out. It was unbelievable to see how much he took those rules of nautical excellence to heart. My wife and I alternated driving so it was during one of her turns that I thought to myself….”this kid’s going to have to learn to take risks“. Don’t get me wrong, I love that he is a rule follower but the rest of the week I wondered if there are times when we have to be willing to take a risk or two. Is life made up of staying in the buoys, the lines, the guides or are there times when we must risk, challenge, test?

I wondered what his life will be like when he is an adult. I wondered what if he was a business man and asked to think “out of the box”. I wondered about his faith and when God calls us to do something totally radical with what He’s given us. Am I wrong in believing that our faith often calls us to risk?

Abraham did.

Moses did.

Peter did.

Jesus did.

Each went against what they knew, what they were supposed to do. God called them to throw caution to the wind. To risk it all for a much higher purpose. I wonder if we’re not called to the same too. We stayed in the buoys and didn’t come within 100 yards of another jet-ski. We obeyed each rule. We also took risks like hitting waves at 50 MPH.

We had the time of our lives too.

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