In 2015, the World Health Organization designated bacon as a Class 1 carcinogen, meaning it is in the same class as smoking tobacco when it comes to causing cancer. But it isn’t just bacon, it’s any processed meat, such as ham, pepperoni, corned beef, pastrami, etc. It was big news, and it made people think twice before consuming bacon.
Apparently thinking twice about bacon just makes you hungry for more bacon. I recently spotted an article about America’s bacon shortage, citing “higher than ever” demand for the delicious meat. In fact, the article went on to say, pig farms now have record high “hog herd” numbers, and it still is not enough meat to meet the demand.
How do we reconcile these two facts? Bacon probably causes cancer, and Americans can’t get enough bacon. Do we just love to live dangerously? If everyone knows it’s risky, why do we still eat it?
We continue to eat bacon because the perceived benefit (deliciousness) is greater than the perceived risk (might get cancer some day). And while bacon is an easy target, the truth is, we do this sort of risk analysis all the time. Often, declaring one’s faith feels very risky (and in some cultures, it is), yet people do it. Sometimes, challenging a long-held belief can be risky, because we don’t know where it will take us. Examining what is wrong in our lives is risky because who wants to do that? But we accept the risk when we decide the benefit will be greater.
For those of us who grew up in the church, maintaining our belief system is safe. It is easy to ignore anything that challenges our comfort, our moral or theological constructs, or our way of seeing the world. But growth doesn’t happen in this comfort zone. Growth happens when we take risks.
In my own life, challenging lifelong ideas and assumptions that were starting to unravel felt risky. If I wanted a deeper faith, I needed to “deconstruct” what I thought I knew about God. I knew the possible risks included alienating my devout family and friends, and possibly being left with no faith or God at all. But I knew that not asking the tough questions would lead to a faith that was stagnant and shallow.
Choosing to accept this risk has had some profound implications and effects on my life. Not being scared to take risks leads to a “growth” mentality, as opposed to a “maintenance” mentality. Instead of trying to maintain the status quo, we can step out into uncertain territory, knowing that we will grow from the experience. Otherwise we run the risk of a boring and stagnant faith that does not reflect the vibrant, passionate, risk-taking Jesus that we profess to follow.
As I’ve tried to live this out, I often recognize ways that people around me are accepting the risks as well. For my kids this summer, helping with Camp Grace was a risk. Going into neighborhoods to build relationships with kids they don’t know was a challenge, much more so than sitting at home playing video games. And I can see that they’ve grown and benefitted from it. Because growth doesn’t happen in our comfort zone. Growth happens when we take risks.
By the way, Jesus didn’t eat bacon, and neither should you. That stuff is terrible for you. Well, it’s bacon… maybe it’s worth the risk.
-- Jeff Hyson
