as mentioned in the sermon...
A Resource on High-Risk & Low-Anxiety
A few weeks ago, I (Dan Anderson-Little) saw a Presbyterian church's website that contained this phrase: "We are a high-risk, low-anxiety church because our hope is in Jesus Christ." I asked a lot of friends and colleagues how that thought struck them and here are their responses:
High Risk - Do we believe that what we do matters? If what we are about really matters to us and the world we will do whatever it takes to bring it about.
Low Anxiety - If we fail we fail, but not for lack of willingness or effort.
I'm not sure we are convinced what we do matters.
-Trinity Member
What do I need to be high-risk, low-anxiety?
I need to remember why I take risks-why-
I need to rest profoundly in God's profound love for me-
I need to follow my intuitions about where my gifts might be enlarged through practice and challenging efforts, but not force myself to do things that I think I "should" but which lead to my depletion. High-risk requires high-commitment to a vision of health for myself and the world.
- Presbyterian Pastor in Illinois
I've been very intrigued by this statement ever since you first raised it. At first, it was the "high risk, low anxiety" part that captured my interest. As I've thought about it, that mantra presumes (at least) two preconditions that I've found very intriguing. First, is the corporate commitment - if not enough subscribe, there will be high anxiety. As you know, just a few folks are capable of creating an atmosphere of very high anxiety. Second, "low anxiety" requires freedom to fail. It doesn't mean you try everything, or are random, but that you give yourself and others the ability to be unsuccessful (or even just moderately successful).
After a not insignificant time mulling over how we could create an atmosphere like this at Trinity (and in my family), I finally remembered the second half of the sentence - "because our hope is in Jesus Christ." While that may seem a bit simplistic (and I'm definitely not much beyond simplicity when it comes to theology), Jesus was the King of high risk/low anxiety throughout his ministry. We have example after example of Jesus doing socially and religiously unacceptable things because they were right or just, and doing them with (apparent) calm due to his confidence and faith in God.
-Trinity Member
Tough stuff. Personally, the high-risk component doesn't scare me; it's dealing with the others who are afraid of risk that creates my trepidation. It has so much to do with expectations.
When I was young, I had a lot of expectations about a lot of things. I think I actually believed I could control outcomes (foolish when dealing with people, I know). But after being dealt a lousy hand or two in life, I learned that holding onto those expectations was the very thing that caused my anxiety. And so, in letting go, I am exposed to more risk, but less fear. Yes, I was way outside my usual comfort zone, but it wasn't like twisting in the wind, which is what I had imagined. It was more like when, in the movie, Dorothy opened the door in Munchkin County and her whole world was suddenly in color for the first time. Scary, sure, but also enticing.
The old guard, the folks who almost always say something to the effect, 'Well, that's how it's always been done around here,' are more anxiety-producing to me than any new risk we might accept. With risk, sometimes people fear failure more than anything. For me, I fear apathy. I like change, and am challenged (in a good way) by taking risks. Monotony makes me weary.
After having kids who are on all ends of the cognitive spectrum, I've learned that it's really not the end of the world to stand out and be different. It's actually sort of liberating.
-Trinity Member
It seems to me that we have been well trained by our culture to strive to succeed and to get all that we deserve, mainly in material ways. We are like the rich young ruler, who walked away from Jesus sadly because he simply could not give up his wealth and possessions. This is a hard habit to break. It takes prayer and discernment (there's that word again) to be aware that there is another way, a better way.
Our hope is in Jesus Christ, and our trust is in God. Not because we have to, but because we know that we can believe God's promises and because if we listen and really pay attention, we will be led by Christ in the right direction. This is not easy. It can be frightening. But in order to trust, we must let go of our control of everything, open our minds to new ideas and ways of doing church and other things, and spend time in quiet to be receptive to God's guidance. We must listen to hear the call. Expecting to keep the status quo of our own little world, and the bigger world of the church is an unrealistic expectation.
- Presbyterian Pastor in St. Louis
I guess I see the saying a little differently. I'm not sure about the HIGH risk. I guess that's true in a heaven vs. hell discussion, but being Christian is truly about the journey and not the end result. I think of it more as a Low Risk, High Reward situation. Low risk being "what do you have to lose to be a Christian?". Not a whole lot. But you have an awful lot to gain, and peace and low anxiety is one of those things that can truly be enjoyed by a follower or someone that hasn't grasped the situation.
- Trinity Member
Risk is associated with the possibility of loss. Anxiety is associated with fear about the future. In loving God and believing in God's love for us, risk and anxiety fall away. What prevents growth? Those unquestioned stories about our motivations, our relationships, our faith. What are we risking if we don't understand ourselves? Growth is indeed a choice. Is the high-risk, low-anxiety model the way to Trinity's growth? I want to define and embrace what is real and not what should or could be. I want to develop a close relationship with God. I believe those are genuine steps to growth, individually and as a community of faith.
- Trinity Member
The concept is a twist on the "High Risk, Low Maintenance vs. Low Risk, High Maintenance" description of relationships, houseplants, home repairs, etc. For some, situations of high risk are exciting and invigorating. For others, they are anathema. Thus, it should be expected that the concept of High Risk growth will make some people nervous, while others will enthusiastically embrace it. Conversely, some people are content with low anxiety situations and find them often within their internal comfort zone. High risk and low anxiety seem to be polar opposites or at least opposing forces held in check by the push and pull of each component. Is it possible to have only one - maybe not.
Theologically, high risk could mean losing one's salvation, inspiration, individuality, uniqueness, independence, purpose. High anxiety for some might be anything that increases stress such as uncertainty, loss of control, vulnerability, dependency, etc. In biology, uncontrolled/unchecked growth = tumor. High risk occurs when there is a potentially bad outcome, but there is a potentially good outcome as well. Hopefully, the good outweighs the bad, and in such situations the risk is worth taking. Having low anxiety while trusting in a good outcome from a high risk situation requires faith.
- Trinity Member
My initial response is that it can be easy to articulate this, but far more difficult to live into it. I supposed that it is really about discipleship: if we believe that in life and death we belong not to ourselves but to God, then we can respond faithfully and live freely in culture saturated with anxiety. An example: shortly after 9/11, when the anthrax hysteria was reaching its zenith, I watched as our neighbor opened her mailbox clad in large, dishwashing style rubber gloves. She retrieved her mail with a large pair of barbecue tongs. What a bizarre, tragic scene. It illustrates the way anxiety grips our lives and forces our choices. When anxiety is high, our ability to take risks is pretty low. Anxiety is like kudzu: it grows and grows and grows and finally diminishes the thing it covers, halting its growth.
By then, the anxiety is too widespread to make any effective change short of napalm! But if anxiety is identified managed and identified, it could make it easier to take risks, to be more playful (to use Friedman's language). Maybe some amazing things might happen. Jesus, it seems, didn't spend a lot of time wondering if people were going to like him. He opened himself to others, trusting in the miracle of grace that makes new life possible.
To identify anxiety in a family situation ("how are we really going to get by with three kids in college?" to cite a personal example) or in a congregation ("Where are the new members?") I think are the first steps; reducing that anxiety certainly takes a lot of work. I wonder if any person or group is ever able to fully achieve high risks, low anxiety. I suppose that is where faith enters in. With our lives grounded in faith, we're freed to take risks. I'm not much of a risk taker, but fortunately I'm married to one who pushes me out of my comfort zones! I guess that means we're constantly negotiating where the risks are, and what it means to take them.
- Presbyterian Pastor in St. Louis
What do you need to do for that to be possible?
First, I need to be sure of who I am, and whose I am. If I am confident about that my capacity for risk is much higher, and with the certainty of love that I embrace I find anxiety running low.
What does it feel like when we are high risk and low anxiety?
I feel that I am in tune with something much larger then myself. Risk is really about being able to know who I am. Abraham Lincoln said it for me when I think about my role in leadership when he said: "I desire to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on the earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me."
What doors are opened to us when we are that way?
The doors that are opened are those that uplift personal integrity and personal commitment. I feel surrounded by the love of Jesus Christ when I think of the Celtic prayer: Christ above, Christ beneath me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ beside me, and Christ within me! When I feel surrounded in that way whatever doors are opening, I believe I will see them and embrace them
What doors are closed to us?
The doors of challenge, the doors of risk, and the doors of holiness stay open
The doors that close are the doors to imagination, the doors to possibility, and the doors to God's sacred surprise!
- Presbytery Executive
This is about fear. If we are more afraid of God than our parishioners, life is much less anxious but probably riskier in terms of the world. God loves us more than the world loves us and so I take the leap unafraid. I get anxious when I doubt that God can save me/has saved me.
- Presbyterian Pastor in Virginia
What do you need to do for that to be possible?
High Risk - One has to be aware that we are at risk (high/low) at all times - we control much less than we like to believe we do. I feel that more of us than not have been lulled into a false sense of security and live in that bubble because it feels safe and requires little courage. So, I think "high risk" makes you feel more alive and more aware of opportunities and the connectivity in the world... more aware of how everything works together and is influenced by either negative vs. positive energy (hatred/conceit/shortsightedness and etc. vs. an attitude of respect, acceptance and love)
Low Anxiety - Loving ourselves and believing that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves would seem to be a big part of what makes it possible to get up every morning when we are open to a high risk lifestyle. Hopeful, faithful and loving are the feelings that are associated.
What doors are opened to us when we are that way? - The opportunities are infinite - the challenge is recognizing them and embracing them without fear of losing what we believe we know and have.
What doors are closed to us? We will never know.
Living high risk feels totally counter-intuitive and it is fraught being pulled into the anxiety of your family and friends who think you are "crazy" but "don't get it". Then when a path you take does not work (or appears to not work in the NOW) - it is hard to raise your head and keep on going. So there is a lot of emotional management which I find exhausting. The Low Anxiety is much more difficult to experience than the High Risk - so those who really KNOW "they have a friend in Jesus" are the people I admire. That relationship with Jesus/God seems to be the key...
- Trinity Member
At first glance the phrase "high-risk, low-anxiety" seems an oxymoron to me, until I remember what makes it true and what makes it possible. Without God, high-risk/low-anxiety is completely impossible for me. I am high anxiety even when risk is low. For example, I don't like to make phone calls, especially to strangers or people I don't know well. If I think about it, the risk is really low in such a situation: the worst that might happen is interpersonal conflict with the person on the other end - in a phone call even physical risk is eliminated; and even then, whatever I'm calling about is not usually likely to provoke any kind of conflict. And yet, I have anxiety. But when I turn over the results of my life and remember that only the small daily tasks are the part that I'm really responsible for, I can do even high-risk things like running a 13-mile race, entering a professional competition, buying and maintaining a house, giving time and energy to 5 part-time jobs, and loving others to the best of my ability. When I keep God first in my heart and mind (and this is a discipline, not a platitude) I know that whatever the outcome, it will all be OK. That attitude- I guess we call that faith - annihilates anxiety.
- Trinity Member
I think of risk as a statistical evaluation of the probability of something occurring and anxiety as an emotion. Being able to do things that have a slight probability of happening-high risk-without concern-low anxiety-can be an act of a gambler, egotist, or fool. It seems to me Faith is confidence in things not able to be proven and therefore not related to risk.
- Trinity Member
A high-risk mind-set, it seems to me comes from focusing on the limitless capacity God has given us for creative thought and action. Often people ask: What would you try if you could not fail? My answer: NOTHING! You'd be a bump on a log watching the world go by because not failing means not trying anything. The more pertinent question: What would you try if you believed you could HANDLE the failures that will inevitably come your way? I think that is how you get to high-risk/low anxiety. Try BOLD new things, and be assured that, because God is with us, and within us, we can handle the setbacks. -A Christian in Illinois
I think that we pastors need to encourage, maybe even force more risk taking in the church for two reasons:
- Presbyterian Pastor in Arizona
In our world and in my life in particular, high-risk, low-anxiety sounds like an oxymoron. I can think about high-risk and even embrace the idea but not without a fair amount of anxiety so I guess that's where faith comes into play!
- Presbyterian Elder in Wisconsin