Five Minutes: Risk

Each week Gypsy Mama chooses a word to write about for five minutes. No editing, stream of consciousness. Today's word is: Risk.

Ready. Set. Write.

There was a summer about 8 or 9 years ago that my group of friends donned "The Summer of Fun."  At the time I was unemployed due to my company closing and many of my friends at that time were in grad school and when the summer hit, I became a college student all over again.  We'd hang out during the week until all hours of the night (and wee hours of the morning) playing games and just being goofy.  One of the staple games of that summer was Risk.  A game of world domination, everyone is tasked with a separate mission as you each try to build up your armies and take over your part of the world.  Folks, this game was serious business.  You rolled the dice and it fell on the floor...no grace...you lost a turn.  There was one fateful night early on that my friend Chris almost lost his patience teaching Tracy the nuances of the game.  That's what happens at 3am.

This summer was memorable and when the weather warms, I think about that time.  Many of those folks have moved on in life...living in Georgia...Manhattan...or raising a brood of children.  One of our expert Risk players is about to be the father of twins...his fourth and fifth child.  You might not think about a board game when the word "risk" is spoken.  But I do.  Over the years I've become a risk taker.  When I think about that summer of "risk" and fun, I realize that when we take risks...when we take those steps of faith...we have to step forward knowing that God has our hand the entire way...buckle up and have fun on the ride wherever it takes you.  I was unemployed that summer, not knowing where my next job would be.  My friends, though some employed, others were training for a future in ministry...ministry that would bring challenges they would have never believed. Yet, we laughed.  We had fun.  Risk was merely a game preparing us to walk a road of faith we would have never dreamed was ahead.