Daredevils

Yesterday morning on the Today show, Nik Wallenda of the Flying Wallendas crossed between 2 buildings on a tightwire – 12 stories up – on a bicycle – without a net!! At every commercial break, the anchors said to stay tuned for “Daredevil Nik Wallenda”. Got me thinking about that word – daredevil.

You and I may not attempt to cross a high-wire, go base-jumping, or scale a skyscraper, but we may be daredevils nevertheless.

I’m not referring to those certain sinful behaviors that are clearly defined as acts of the sinful nature (drunkenness, sexual immorality, outbursts of anger). Consider this – we are being a daredevil when we secretly harbor bitterness in our hearts. Paul calls bitterness a “root”, and like Jack and the Beanstalk, that root will grow and eventually overtake us. When we are consumed with bitterness, our focus is not on God, but on the person we resent. Often, that person has no idea and is walking around carefree, and meanwhile we are so focused on them that they actually have control over us! Any move they make elicits a response in us. I have heard it said that: “Bitterness does more damage to the vessel that contains it than to the object on which it is poured.” It is like an acid that burns inside, even if we are smiling on the outside.

How about secret jealousies, longings, pride, entertaining temptations (even if we never act on them)? Or what about busyness? We can be so busy that our time with our Savior is at the bottom of our to-do list. All these make us “daredevils” as we keep our toe in the polluted ocean hoping not to get bitten by the powerful shark lurking nearby.

I once saw a Christian T-shirt that said, “I’m a confident Christian. Bring on the lions.” Whoa, yes – we can be confident that Satan is a defeated foe. He has no power over us, and cannot even touch us unless he gets the go-ahead from the Lord, our protector. But Peter tells us he is like a “lion, prowling around seeking someone to devour.” I say he is like a lion whose teeth have been knocked out. We need not live in constant fear of the enemy, but a lion without teeth is still a potent adversary, and we would do well to keep our focus on our Savior, our Protector, our Deliver, our Redeemer. Keep our focus in His Word, and let it nourish us so that we may be strong to resist temptation. Focus is what daredevil Nik Wallenda needed to cross the tightwire, and focus is what we need to safely navigate our way, too.