Responding to Risk

Whoever watches the wind will not plant;

whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

As you do not know the path of the wind,

or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,

so you cannot understand the work of God,

the Maker of all things.

Sow your seed in the morning,

and at evening let your hands not be idle,

for you do not know which will succeed,

whether this or that,

or whether both will do equally well.

Ecclesiastes 11:4–6

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Solomon speaks to us in these verses of how we should respond to the threat of chance disasters and misfortunes in life. Are you a risk taker? Or are you more prone to sit on the sidelines waiting for ideal circumstances, for the sure thing?

If you are looking for a path through life that comes with zero risk, you won’t find it. And if you are waiting for ideal conditions, they won't come. All you will accomplish in the end is preventing yourself from ever doing anything.

Yes, life is full of misfortune and disaster and unpredictability, but behind it all is a God we trust who is in control…even when we don’t understand what He is doing. And the best thing for us is not to shout at the heavens, nor is it to sit on the sidelines of life doing nothing. No! The right response to uncertainty and unpredictability and potential disasters is found in verse 6. 

We should “Sow our seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, [i.e. take on some other skill to bring in money] for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.” In other words, don’t let the difficulties of life paralyze you. On the contrary, let them motivate you to action!

This is a good reminder for me. I'm not much of a risk taker. In fact, I'm very risk averse. But what people like me forget is that there's inherent risk in doing nothing. We think, "If I don't play, then I can't lose." But the reverse is just as true. "If I don't play, then I can't win!" It is much better to invest your money and your life liberally and diversely and take the risk of loss along with the risk of profit than it is to sit on the sidelines and do nothing. At least you will have lived and done what you could.

‌‌You have a limited amount of time, money and resources in this life. Use them wisely. Don't bury your talent. Do something for the Lord. Try multiple and varied things. You never know what might pay off in the end.