Stop the Hate: Team Joey!

Life=Risk

Quoted from Caleb Grimm

"If you don't risk anything, you risk even more."

Beneath the surface of our sometimes conservative, play-it-safe mentality, we all have some kind of proneness toward "risk." If this weren't true in America, thousands of people would stop auditioning for American Idol, stock market tickers wouldn't scroll across our news channels, and ESPNwouldn't televise world poker tournaments. Life without risk is dull, and void of purpose.

We like taking risks - or if nothing else, we're fascinated with the concept of risk. Why? I think it's because of what comes after risk. It's human nature to want answers. We yearn to know what happens next. We desire to know if we "have what it takes." The only way to find out if success or failure follows our preparation is to take that risk.

Outside of coincidence, success cannot be achieved with out taking a jump. Think of your favorite public figure. There was a time when your favorite musician had to stand in front of a judge of talent for the first time. There came a point when your favorite athlete had to strap on a uniform and play in front of a scout. The last politician you voted for once had to prepare and deliver his or her first campaign speech.

Is it scary? Yes, but I believe it's supposed to be! No one ever discovered new land without first being willing to lose sight of the shore. I'm learning that if we want to chase our dream, we have to ultimately be willing to sacrifice what we are and what we have, for who we want to become.

Now if you don't mind if I have some saying...

Caleb is absolutely right about saying this. And I feel Anthem Lights does exactly this. God puts many "challenges" out for us and we have to be willing to go for them. He nudges us and tries to point is in the right direction, but until we take the risk we have no idea what we will encounter. We NEED to just trust God and He will never forsake us. He has a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11)!!

Did you know Jesus had a plan already layer out for Him? Wasn't Hated? Beaten down by mean commenters? Teased? Taunted? He took a risk saying that He was God's ONE AND ONLY SON even if if meant being picked on. He knew He had God by His side before, along, and even after every step of the way along His long journey. Jesus was called "fake" and many nonChristians doubted Him. Even His own BEST FRIEND, Peter, even denied Him 3 times that Peter didn't know Jesus. Peter did not take a risk because he was scared.

Most of us are too scared to take risks, but the ones that know God is with them and do take the risks are often beaten down by the fellow commenters and don't like it after taking the risk. In the end, though, we KNOW that God was with us every step of the way.

What are we to say what God's plans were? If we knew then would they be our plans? Wouldn't we try to manipulate them? If Joey knew that people would say mean things would he still do the cover? If the mean commenters knew that Joey was going to feel THIS bad would they have said them?

Here is a more important question....

If God used this cover for someone to see Joey's smiling face and grow to love Anthem Light's music and eventually even get to know or even grow closer to God, would the people still say those mean things?

Without risks... Are we living?