This week, I am praying for the safety of my daughter and the group she’s traveling with. I am praying for their physical health, and physical protection as they travel through South Africa. They’re flying from Cape Town to Johannesburg today, so I’d appreciate your prayers.
I know this trip will be life-changing for her. And so while I want her to be physically safe, I am aware that God calls us to risk for him. He asks us to be braver than we think we can. I think my daughter will be forever changed by this experience–that her heart may not be safe, if safe means unaffected, insulated. Love sometimes requires leaving our comfort zones, and obedience requires trust. Eliminating risk is not what the Christian life is supposed to be about! To follow him with our whole hearts often means having our world rocked, in a good way.
My daughter loves adventure. And she loves Jesus. She’s in her sweet spot when serving him. That is a dangerous combination.
My kid is the one in tie-dye in the middle, with the big grin.
I was going through some of the archives on this site and found this article, when I wrote when my kids were small, about the idea of “safety” in our Christian life. In it, I wrote this:
“In C.S. Lewis’ book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver are describing Aslan the Lion (the Christ figure in the story) and how creatures revere and fear him.
“ ‘Then he isn’t safe?’ said Lucy. ‘Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver. ‘Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.’ ”
And of course, the story shows us a truth. Christ is good, but he’s not always safe. He’s likely to, if we listen, challenge us to do things we could never do without his help. That’s faith defined.”
Read the whole article by clicking here. If you have small children, read it and follow its advice–but be forewarned, your kids might actually decide to follow Jesus, who is not always safe, but always good.
A great video on this topic is this short from Francis Chan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA_uwWPE6lQ
What risks is Jesus asking you to take for him? In what ways have you focused on safety instead of obedience? where is God asking you to be brave?
Hi Keri,
It is the same question God asked me today just before i went out to meet my disciples. God is asking me to leave my comfort zone. I believe He is checking my heart, because i know that part of me is unwilling to sacrifice (my precious time, energy, and money) to the people He send me to be steward of, unwilling to be disturbed, unwilling to be inconvenient, but sometimes you “meet” a person who inspires you. I am learning a lot from God through your humble life and through my leaders and pastors who were “somebody” that is willing to be disturbed and inconvenient for the sake of sharing the message of Christ.
I stumbled upon this blog 2 days ago, and since then i couldn’t get enough of her, i just wouldn’t let go of her life. I am amazed so much at how God humbles me and challenge me through the life of this one person who really knows by FAITH how to live (RESPONSE) the calling of God in her life.
This part of her blog is kind of related to your post today so i thought you might want to know her (which i know i myself learns a lot too from this woman).
http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/2009/04/well-since-you-asked.html
And for that I am dreaming the DREAM of God for our nation, and for the world. God Bless!