Picture was taken on the lower slopes of Mushera mountain, near Millstreet Country Park, Millstreet, Co.Cork (Irl)

This sheep has an extra coat after heavy falls of snow in many parts of Ireland last Friday. This particular photo was taken early Saturday morning as the sheep gathered on the lower slopes of the mountain not used to all the white stuff around them!

‘If someone lives a cautious, fearful and risk free life in order to ensure that they will get to heaven, it seems to me to be a negation of Christianity.’ ~Tony Flannery

The option of playing safe is an attractive one. Why bother if someone else can do it? Why take a risk if it’s going to end in disappointment? Why try something new and different if what’s old has worked before? Why be open to possibility when it demands time and effort? It’s also easier to play safe in relation to spiritual matters. Playing it safe equates to not upsetting God. But playing it safe is actually an insult to God. God wants us to be free and open. We’re encouraged to be positive and creative, to be open and honest and to love even if a risk is involved.
It’s about living our lives to the full, seizing every opportunity to love and to do our best. Playing safe is certainly at the bottom of God’s list of priorities.