Risk

The true story is told of Queen Victoria’s interview for a new Carriage driver. He would be responsible for the Queen, so he had to be the best driver, with nerves of steel. The question the last three contenders were asked was, “You are taking the Queen in the Royal Carriage on a very narrow mountain road, with a cliff face to one side, and a sheer drop on the other. How close to the edge could you drive, and stay safe?” The first man said 2 feet, the second said 1 foot, and the small, timid, shy candidate said as far away from the edge as possible. Guess who got the job? It was the man who took no risks with the country’s monarch.

Who would you take even calculated risks for? Who would you love enough to want to protect? Maybe another question is more relevant. Who would you take no risks for? Who would you want to protect so much that any gamble at all, no matter how good the odds, would not be worth the wager? The obvious answers are your husband, wife, or your children. For most folks it would be family. A good family has no monetary value. It is without price, and to be protected at all costs.

Common sense I hear you say. After all, wouldn’t everyone protect their family, especially their children? Maternal and paternal instincts are so powerful, that even in the animal world, the parent would die for their young. No doubt. No question. No second thoughts. A sacrifice worth making. What about God’s love for us as expressed by Paul, “...for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:7-8 NIV.

We cannot understand God’s love, and we display a poor sham of human love in this life sometimes, especially to those who deserve our love and protection most. Doing the right thing can take character, and inner strength, especially if there is a high price to pay. As a good family friend said recently, “sometimes you have to do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do”. Wise words, but not always easy to bring ourselves to achieve. Maybe if we remember Christ’s love and try to copy Him, we can get closer to doing the same for our own loved ones! Take risks with the most important people in our lives? Never! So we need to stay away from the edge... at any and all costs. May God keep us faithful to His supreme example of love.