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Do you vicariously participate in life from afar? Do you spend most of your days wishing, hoping and dreaming, but never realizing fulfillment and satisfaction? Do you want to make a difference in other people's lives? If so, you're on the right track.You were not meant to be a spectator but a participant in life!

The question is, are you a risk taker? You need to find the answer to this question because there is a direct link between a person's willingness to take risks and their ability to achieve a sense of fulfillment.

Too many of us want to play it safe. We want to avoid the uncertainties of living on the edge. Instead we elect to fill our days of quiet desperation with predictable routines of mediocrity. Unfortunately, or comfortable suburban environs usually prevent us from taking the crazy, unpredictable risk of following our hearts to find life's true purpose. 

The following essay describes how you can find "absolute satisfaction." As you read about people taking risks and stepping out in faith, remember, "it could be you!"

When my Aunt Tillie headed down to Atlantic City for a weekend, she usually took twenty-five thousand dollars, which back then was more than I made in a year. She always insisted she made money on her gambling, but I knew the odds were against her. She had to play for something other than money. Thrill? Excitement? The rush of winning . . . sometimes.
 
Actually, we all take chances–when we put money into a retirement fund or board an airplane. When I get into my car and navigate the highway near my house, I’m taking an enormous chance. It’s one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the state. Even something as wonderful as romance is loaded with risk.

So maybe risk-taking in and of itself is not all bad. Perhaps the question is not whether should we take risks, but which risks should we take? 

Jesus talked about risking our lives for something that lasts, both today and forever. He said: “Don’t store up your treasure on earth where it can decay or be stolen. Instead, store up your treasure in heaven where there is no decay or thieves.” In other words, don’t bet everything on what you can touch, taste and see. It’s temporary. Think beyond the present.

How do we “store treasure in heaven?”  

We can throw our lives away on experiences and things that quickly fade. Or we can invest them in experiences and people (who have specific, tangible needs). Either way, we’re taking chances. It’s just that one set of chances leaves us craving more no matter how much we win. The other will leaves us satisfied no matter how much we appear to lose. The specific outcome in either case can’t be known ahead of time. The degree of satisfaction can. Jesus challenges us to gamble on absolute satisfaction. He urges us to take our chances with Him.

According to Jesus, the supreme purpose in life is love: Loving God and loving people. And love is not only sweet affection and heart-throb romance. Love is loyalty, fidelity, endurance, compassion, service. When someone challenged Jesus to explain what He meant by “loving our neighbor” He told a story about three men who passed an injured man. Two of the men walked right by. The third man stopped and helped. That, said Jesus, is what love is–finding a need and doing something about it. That kind of love is risky. You take chances when you open your heart. You take chances when you stop and get involved. You take chances when you care about people. You take chances when you live the Jesus-life.

If we take our money to Atlantic City or Las Vegas or the local lottery dealer, our chances of making money are pretty slim. But if we risk our money, time, and abilities in doing good, our chances of making a difference are huge. At the casino no matter how much or little we win, it is never enough. In the Jesus-way of living, no matter how skillful or clumsy our game, we always win. It is always enough.

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