The God Who Takes Risks

3 min. read

The God who takes risks has no fear of surprises. It’s God’s own riskiness that leads to his creation unravelling.

A Story

“Where are you?” God asked as he strolled in the garden. It was as if God was used to meeting the man and woman regularly for these walks.  God anticipated he would have company for this walk, just like every other day. But something was different about this day. You could smell fear in the garden.

“Where are you?” There was no hint of anger or punishment in his voice. Only curiousness.

“Where are you?”

Finally, an answer came from a fear-filled voice, “I was hiding because I’m naked.”

It was the man’s voice. God asked how the man knew he was naked. Who told him? Then it dawned on God, “Did you eat the fruit from that one tree I told you not to eat from?”

The man passes the buck: “She picked the fruit.”

So God asks the woman, “Why?”

“Well,” she says, “I ate the fruit, but it didn’t turn out like I thought it would. That animal of yours, the talking serpent, he tricked me.”

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Flashback

A talking serpent, — not “Satan” nor “the devil”– all the story gives us is a talking serpent. A shrewd animal who plays an important part in this story: questioning God’s created order. The talking serpent plants seed of doubt in the minds of the man and woman. During his convo with the woman — where the man is present, by the way, he just doesn’t say anything — the woman and man are faced with the possibility of mistrusting God and his word.

Could God not want them to eat the fruit of this particular tree because God is thinking of his own welfare instead of theirs? Is God trying to keep things from the humans to protect himself?

The man and woman look at the fruit, grab it, and eat it. The fruit looks very tasty after all. Why shouldn’t they eat it?

But then they see reality clearly. They see things God had protected them from for their own welfare, not God’s. Because once humans know the difference between good and evil, they might not be able to protect themselves.

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Returning to the Story

“Where are you?”

“We’re naked, so we put something on.”

In that instant God realizes that he’s taken a risk and now things have gone south. Now there’s a fall. Not a fall from grace, not a fall from perfection, not even a fall from immortality. But a fall which is a fallout between humans and God, humans and each other, and humans and creation.

A wonderful relationship has been broken because of mistrust. Death is actually a part of God’s created natural world. But the possibility of avoiding death is cut off when God escorts the humans out of the garden and keeps them away from that other tree: the Tree of Life.

Maybe this is a grace God extends to humans. Imagine what it would be like to be immortal, knowing the discrepancies between good and evil for eternity.

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God’s Dream

God’s dream for authentic relationship with humans would have to be realized another way. But this humanity that bears God’s image moves further and further away from a relationship of love with the Creator.

Yet forgiveness has always been part of God’s dream. God extends forgiveness before ever being asked.

Yet forgiveness has always been part of God's dream. God extends forgiveness before ever being asked. Click To Tweet

After the man and woman have broken the relationship with this God, he doesn’t enter the garden with fire and brimstone. God comes to them with a question: “Where are you?”

God was accustomed to walking with these humans in the garden every afternoon. Why should this day be any different? In fact, God knows they must now leave the garden. So this is the last day for a leisurely stroll. God has forgiven them even before they confess. God is ready to walk with them.

God Chooses Risk

Humanity will always be at odds with the dreams of the Creator. Yet this God chooses to continue taking risks.

God picks societal outcasts as his chosen ambassadors of grace. God loves unconditionally, even when his heart is continually broken. God shows up in a human form that nobody expects, and nobody wants. God forgives before repentance. God willingly dies.

This God is risky. This God is not safe. This God’s ways are mysterious and illogical. Maybe that’s why this God is so appealing.

This God is risky. This God is not safe. Maybe that's why this God is so appealing. Click To Tweet

So how does following a risky God change the way you live?

Maybe we should feel freer to take the risks of loving big, refusing to defend ourselves, forgiving others before they seek repentance.

This means embracing a life full of grace.