Winning Ways: “Risk’s Rewards”

Have you ever suffered from the “Wallenda Factor”?

Thirty years ago, Karl Wallenda, patriarch of The Flying Wallendas, fell 75 feet to his death while walking a high wire in Puerto Rico. His widow felt that a new fear of falling actually contributed to his fall. In the months leading up to his death, she watched Karl transition from courage to precaution. The aerialist who once loved walking the high wire became a man obsessed with the fear of falling.

This fear of failing is today known as the Wallenda Factor. It refers to people and situations where the fear of failure overwhelms what used to be the joy of daring.

A few years back there was a sociological study done of 50 people over the age of 95. They were all asked the question, “If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?” The second most-repeated response was, “I would risk more.” I wonder if they were not thinking back over chances they missed because they were unwilling to lay it all on the line. Life had taught them that sometimes the only way to get life’s best is to risk.

We know this instinctively, because the books we love to read, the movies we love to watch, and the sports or business stories we love to hear all have one thing in common: they all involve people who were willing to risk. Our heroes tend to be people who were willing to lay it all on the line in order to achieve.

If you have a short list of heroes like that, Caleb should be on your list. Whenever we find Caleb in the pages of the Bible, he’s acting boldly. If you could sit down with Caleb and talk with him about the decisions you’re facing, what advice do you think he would give you? This Sunday, I will share with you seven things I believe he would say about how to take a risk.

Maybe you’re considering a big decision right now. May God give you wisdom to make the right decision—and may he give you courage to see it through!
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