Your choice: Be safe, or get a thrill!

I like the time of year when we can leave open our front and rear doors and let the cool early-morning breeze flow through the screen doors. It's Pasko the cat's very favorite season. He enjoys spotting a sparrow on the patio, slinking towards it with the greatest of stealth, and...stopping at the screen door. Eventually the bird will leave, and eventually Pasko will hear another flutter of wings, this time on the front porch. Once again, stealth, and stop, and stare through the screen. He never goes outside; he doesn't even try to. I suppose that's because he's neutered. He's contented to just watch the outside, through the screen. They say indoor cats live longer, but I think it's a boring existence compared to the felines that are free to frolic wherever they want. Those cats actually hunt, and occasionally even get to taste fresh meat. All Pasko ever eats is dry cat food. Besides chasing birds, mice, and lizards, outdoor cats socialize, fight, tease dogs, mate, and raise kittens. They do what they were designed to do!

There are also screens that people peer through. In fact, most people have much in common with Pasko. Rather than living an abundant life of adventure and taking risks for God, they satisfy their craving for excitement by sitting and staring through TV screens for hours on end, watching others having fun, taking risks, and doing good. Rather than cultivating real-life red-hot romances with their spouses, some folks stare through their computer screens at images of fantasy "lovers" who don't love them one bit. And they wonder why they're practically neutered when it comes to their own spouses.

How does one actually get a life, rather than live vicariously through actors on the other side of a screen? William Carey--the founder of the modern missionary movement--said, "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God." William Shedd--missionary to Iraq 100 years ago--adds, "A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." I think it's more exciting to go on a mission trip, or give more than you can afford, or preach the Gospel in public, or devote your retirement to full-time service, than to partake of the fake Hollywood stuff, or roller coasters, or bungee jumping. The Lord designed each of us with an appetite for adrenaline rushes, with some obviously craving it more often than others. But God wants each of us to get a regular "fix" by stepping out by faith in whatever adventure or risk He leads us into. That way, we'll be building our faith and accomplishing some good while getting a buzz. That's what you were built for!

Am I advising you to give up your TV? Not necessarily, but I've lived a rich, full life without one for almost all of the last 28 years.