A Christian Perspective of "safety."

I leaned over to Joy last night in bed & said, "Why do you think that you hear so many people praying to God for safety?" They say, 'Lord, keep them safe on their trip home...Lord, help us to be safe...etc.' It is not that I don't want to be safe, but if that is what drives my decisions then I might always choose safety even at the expense of the gospel. This concerns me. I've wondered what a Christian perspective of safety would look like.

This past summer I accepted an engagement to lead a college-aged discipleship weekend for a neighboring church. Much of what I taught about was the 'Kingdom of God.' I am so thankful for some of the fruit that resulted from the weekend & how many students began to find contrast between their form of spirituality verses the gospel.

During our last session, a college student, who had recently returned from a missional summer in the Grand Canyon, raised his hand to ask a question. He was responding to a statement that I made saying, Your life can serve as an object lesson of God's love toward people (of course, I am fighting the desire to give you the context of that statement because of all of the misunderstandings of God as love. But, just go with the story; it isn't the main point. Whew! I feel better.). He posed, "Ben, what do we do when we are trying to live a life of obedience to Christ & our parents are more concerned about our personal safety than the gospel?"

At this point, I turned to my wife who happened to be with me, & gave her a big honkin' grin. As a side note, I don't smoke (never have for that matter) but I imagine I had the same feeling as a smoker getting his "fix" when the student asked that question. I caught myself off guard when I shouted, "yes, what a great question!" What a great place to be at when you must wrestle with when your love for Christ & the proclamation of the gospel may interfere with your personal safety.

Yet, I was caught off guard when his mother, who happened to be the college pastor's wife, spoke up, "Ben, I am concerned that he is going a little too far when he picks up people off the side of the road & when he goes downtown to periodically do life with the homeless. I don't think he is being safe."

I was very cautious in my response. I said, "I imagine it must be very difficult to fear for your son's safety, but I must wonder where you got the idea that God is more concerned with our safety & being comfortable than with the gospel. I don't get the idea that Paul & many other biblical examples would say that they were out of harm's way. Yet, they were consumed by the gospel & that should mean more than personal safety, even when our mothers are fearful."

We ought not be reckless, but sometimes the gospel costs people their lives. And, it is our best day when we gain Christ. For me personally, I am having a dramatic paradigm shift in my mentality as God is moving me from a more man-centered view of life to a more God-centered view of life. They seem at opposites. I don't want to reach life's end & say, "Boy, I sure had a safe life. Man...nothing ever touched me." Rather, I would dare say, "I gave it all for the glory of Christ...what seemed like such a risk is pale in comparison to knowing & gaining Christ."

As it was said of Aslan in Chronicles of Narnia, "He is not safe, but He is good!"

In Christ's refuge.