A couple years ago, I co-opened a business called Sipping n’ Painting; my partners and I recently signed a lease to expand to a second location. Several people in my life have warned me about “managing my risk” in opening the second studio. I consider this wise counsel, and I also consider it only one side of a double- sided coin. What about “managing the opportunity?” or better yet, “stewarding the opportunity?” Last year, Sipping n’ Painting received a small business grant, and I think it is just as important to steward the opportunity of that grant and the gift of current momentum in this business as it is to manage the risk involved in expanding.
The same is true for you. God has given you gifts. You can lead, or teach, or pioneer new things, or host, or serve, or sing, or play, or innovate, or create, or come alongside. Are you stewarding that gift? Are you stewarding the opportunities in your life today? Jesus told a story where he cautioned his followers not to “bury [their] talents” in the ground. We can bury our talents (or bury the talents of others) when we become so risk-adverse, so consumed with “managing the risks,” that we lose sight of the opportunity we need to steward.
Has the Spirit led you to venture into risky territory? What steps can you take today to wisely manage the associated risk AND courageously invest your talents?
Susie Grade 