The Reward of Risk

he wilderness has always been a place of challenge, adventure and risk. There are beautiful and remote places that only a handful of people will ever get to see. Our culture is risk-averse in many ways, creating environments that eliminate healthy outlets for the natural desire in young people to engage in risky activities. SROM provides programs and a beneficial environment of calculated risk for young adults that meet a deep developmental need. Despite the inherent physical risks of backpacking, rock climbing and mountaineering, the most statistically dangerous activity associated with a SROM course is driving to the programming area. Many SROM students come with hesitancy and excitement for the adventure ahead.

“The Lord will make your heart perilously bare before His raw and wild creation, your eyes open to a beauty larger than yourself.”

In addition to the intrinsic physical risks that go along with extended periods in the wilderness, students quickly realize there stands an even greater risk for the heart. Your human condition is laid bare in the wilderness; your body, mind, and spirit are exposed and made vulnerable. The Lord will make your heart perilously bare before His raw and wild creation, your eyes open to a beauty larger than yourself, and he will give your mind the privilege of marveling at its Creator. Beyond all of this, your sin and weaknesses will inevitably become exposed to your team. You will have the opportunity to face yourself with people who will embrace you as the person God has made you to be.

Amidst this revelation you are called to love. Perhaps the greatest risk students find themselves taking is allowing themselves to love and be loved by their team. If there is anyone who can sympathize with the terrifying splendor of risking intimacy, that person is Jesus. He risked His divinity and His humanity by laying down His life at the cross and also living out the day to day with twelve other men. We are called to take this same risk by loving one another. Whether it is in a wilderness setting or an office, we have a Divine invitation to put our hearts on the line and live gospel lives together. The reward of risk is love and the redeemer of risk is the greatest Love of all–Jesus.