Great Books V Reflection

    G.K. Chesterton writes in his chapter on the "Paradoxes of Christianity" that the principle of courage is nearly a "contradiction," because it is a strong desire to live that also comes with a readiness to die (89). If a surrounded soldier wishes to save his neck, he must risk it dangerously by cutting his way right through the entire enemy army (89). Chesterton writes that Jesus's words "He that will lose his life, the same shall find it" were not spoken solely for heroes or saints, but as a "piece of everyday advice for sailors or mountaineers" (89). Could it also be everyday advice for the average person? I would argue that it could. Not all human beings risk their lives on the open seas, or attempt to scale Mount Everest. However, perhaps the key word regarding the experiences of sailors or mountaineers is RISK. There are many forms of risk beside risk to one's life. There also exist risk to one's heart, risk to one's reputation. Chesterton writes that the person who wishes to be courageous must "desire life like water and yet drink death like wine" (89). If one deeply desires to love another, one must also be willing to drink deeply of loneliness when one's beloved is physically distant, or emotionally so. In a similar way, if one wishes to gain influence over a group of people in order to advance God's kingdom or begin vital social reform, one must at the same time be willing to be misunderstood, stigmatized, or even laughed at.  In order to gain something special, one must willingly risk something special. Oswald Chambers writes that the Gospel imperative for Christians to gain souls for Heaven necessitates a willingness to pour out one's "life blood as a libation" (February 5th). He also writes that the Christian life requires a total abandonment of oneself for God and salvation's sake (February 21). To completely abandon oneself is to risk EVERYTHING, life, heart, reputation--but one does so in order to gain Heaven. Indescribable happiness with God for eternity. Sounds well worth the risk.