Worth SharingSample

On a scale of one to ten (one being low and ten being high), how likely are you to do these things?

• Ride a rollercoaster that loops upside down.
• Sit by a student in the cafeteria who always sits alone.
• Hold a five-foot-long snake.
• Try out for a new sports team.
• Sing or dance in front of your entire school during an assembly.

If you were to ask your friends to answer these same questions, they would likely have different answers. We all calculate risk differently. Some of us would feel mortified giving a speech in class, while others would jump at the chance. You may love the adrenaline rush that comes with speeding down a zip line, while your friends may choose to be spectators instead.

Stepping out of our comfort zone is important to our personal growth. Risk is often connected to building character, helping others, and choosing to let go of control in order to fully trust God with a difficult situation.

There are other times, though, when we take risks that are driven by people pleasing. Maybe you've put your values aside and taken a risk to connect with new friends, just for the sake of popularity. Maybe you risked breaking trust with your parents because you didn't tell them the whole truth about your choices. These risks end up hurting us and those around us.

Every day, we're faced with decisions to risk our health and wholeness to please someone else or experience the peace that God provides.

They may have plenty of chances to go after what appears to be peace, but it is temporary — but the peace God provides lasts.