Risks & Rewards

Risk and Rewards

Is it possible to live your life and never take a risk? Some people are adrenaline junkies who look for opportunities to push their limits and enjoy the hit of adrenaline and the dopamine that follows. Others consider themselves risk-averse, avoiding as many uncertainties as possible. Some people take calculated risks while others would rather jump before they have time to think.

There are certain risks we can avoid but there are others that are beyond our control.

“An asteroid or a super-volcano could certainly destroy us, but we also face risks the dinosaurs never saw: An engineered virus, nuclear war, inadvertent creation of a micro black-hole, or some as-yet-unknown technology could spell the end of us.” -Elon Musk

In reality, it is impossible to live without risk and without risks there are no rewards. Some risks are foolish and others are worth it all. Some have temporal consequences and others eternal.

Almost 2,600 years ago, there were 3 Jewish teenagers who found themselves faced with a life or death risk. In Daniel 3, the young men were commanded to bow down and worship a statue or be thrown into a raging fire. Imagine the counsel they would have received from even well meaning Christians if they lived today.

Bowing down was simply a “job requirement.”
"There is no shame in bowing, everyone is doing it."
"You can bow your knees and while standing in your heart."
"How can you help others if you are dead."
How did the young men respond with such great courage and faith? It appears that they risked it all but for what reward? What was the greater risk, bowing in compromise or standing with courage. Which option had the greater reward?