Saturday, February 13, 2016
Gutsy
The crowd gasps, then
applauds. Their comments include
comments such as, "That was gutsy move! " For hours the audience
gawks, winces, holds their breath and then jumps to their feet with shouts of
praise. The performers are in their
teens. The most famous among them was
famous for having crashed during one of his performances only to continue
competing in spite of broken bones. People
are drawn to the performances because these young people do incredible things
with nothing but a piece of wood and 4 small wheels. With hundreds of hours of practice and no
fear, these skateboarders jump high into the air, do summersault in mid air, skid
on narrow metal rails and experience feats most of us would never even attempt.
So it is with our
attraction to so many activities that go beyond the ordinary. Extreme sports such as bungee jumping, sky
diving, free mountain skiing, base jumping, cave diving and paragliding have a
certain appeal because they take a great deal of skill and even more
"guts". These activities (which require ambulances to be close by)
are impressive, but what do they really accomplish? Is anyone loved or fed or
bettered because of it?
Risking life and limb
for an adrenaline rush has a "shock and awe" effect, but is nothing
like stepping out into the challenges of everyday life. Life's biggest
challenges and most important relationships are rarely effected by a dangerous
jump or extraordinary double back-flip. The
real heroes and the gutsiest among us
are people whose challenges look like this:
·
The father who, with integrity, patiently
leads his family in spite of financial struggles and the pressure of social
decay
·
The wife who forgives her husband and children when they "fall
short".
·
The parent who cares for special needs child.
·
The healthy person who holds onto an honest
job even if a government program might allow them to not work and still get
paid.
·
The child who becomes their parent's
caretaker.
·
The lonely person who carefully avoids online
pornography and inappropriate social behavior even if "everybody is doing
it."
·
The young person who bucks peer pressure in
order to life a "clean" life.
·
The Pastor who continues to teach the
principles taught in Scripture in spite of cultural pressures to abandon them.
·
The teacher who works long hours with little
pay in order to prepare the next generation for a better life.
·
The factory worker who faithfully goes to
work and does an honest day's work even when no one is looking.
·
The small business owner who works long hours
in order to provide a good product or service without taking advantage of their
customers or employees.
·
The city official who is just as
conscientious as he wants his doctor to be.
·
The corporate executive who refuses to be
greedy or unethical.
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