Matthew 9:18-26 ... Story is that a local official finds Jesus to say his daughter has died, can Jesus come heal her and bring her back from the dead. So Jesus immediately abandons what he is doing to go with this official. On his way he is interrupted by a woman who has been hemorrhaging for 12 years. She slips through the crowd, touches the hem of his robe, and is healed . . . at the risk of public embarrassment.... the risk of making an entire crowd unclean according to Jewish law....at the risk of being seen as forward...touching a Jewish male in public....at the risk of ridicule....at the risk of failure....maybe it wouldn't work....at the risk of anger from the crowd and from Jesus. So what does Jesus say? "Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you're well." Then Jesus continues on his merry way, heals the dead daughter, some blind men, casts out some evil spirits, etc.

I just loved the way Jesus commended her for taking a risk of faith. Wow. It has been in my biggest moments of the greatest risks in my faith where God has shown up in amazing ways. Yet, still I struggle with taking big risks. I want to chase the Lion in a pit on a snowy day!!!! (reference to Mark Batterson's awesome book) Somehow I spend way too much time on the mundane and the safe. I am done with safe.