Risky Behavior
Dan Kunz
While in Namibia on a hunting trip, I saw how many people got by with very little. The average farm worker is paid about $3250 Namibian dollars per month, which is equal to $200 American dollars. They do get lodging on the farm and share some of the meat when butchering takes place, so that helps. (They’re very happy when a visiting hunter harvests some game because they get part of that meat as well.) It’s rather odd by American standards, but they can even sell meat at local markets! Most don’t own cars, so they try to catch a ride into town with whomever happens to have room. Although they don’t have much by our standards, they are generally happy and hardworking people.
Because they don’t have much, these farmhands sometimes have to “make do”. I experienced this firsthand. My PH (professional hunter or guide) has two of the best “trackers” in Namibia, Emmanuel and Joseph. Their ability to identify and follow animal tracks was nothing short of amazing! They can literally track an animal for miles, in sometimes less than ideal circumstances. One day, another PH who was hunting with us, gave Joseph a couple of old newspapers. When I asked what they were for, he replied that Joseph rolled cigarettes with them! Evidently, Joseph scraped together enough money to buy tobacco occasionally but didn’t have enough money to buy rolling papers. Yikes! Although I’m not an advocate of any smoking, smoking cigarettes rolled in newspaper is beyond horrifying! The carcinogens in tobacco are bad enough. The carcinogens in newsprint must be even worse. Although I’m pretty sure Joseph didn’t smoke any more than one or two of those cigarettes a day, his behavior seems very risky, at best.
You probably don’t inhale smoke from burning newspapers, but are there other behaviors in your life which are risky – not Evel Knievel risky, but risky, nonetheless. We probably all take some physical risks from time to time. If you ask my wife, pretty much everything I do is risky in some way, shape, or form. If I was a cat, I would have used up my nine lives a long time ago! Probably driving on a highway after midnight on a weekend is about as dangerous as most people get because of impaired drivers. Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires all present risks which people may choose to ignore. The worst risk, of course, is the one which may endanger our immortal souls. In spite of that, we sometimes “walk the edge” when it comes to temptation.
Do you get a little too attached to your money or possessions? Do you linger a little too long when that image pops up on YouTube? Do you ignore your better judgement and have “just one more” with your friends? First and foremost, we need to stay in God’s Word to remind us of danger. Secondly, knowing your own “hot buttons” is absolutely critical. Thirdly, the power of prayer and good companions can’t be understated. When Jesus came into the world to die for our sins, he knew he would be tempted, but had to endure it to win our salvation. That doesn’t mean we should ever put ourselves in a risky situation! Matthew 4:7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Smoking a rolled up newspaper? No, thanks! Endangering my eternal life? Absolutely, no thanks!