Living Safe

Have you ever read a book that one line in the book just continued to haunt you chapters later?  That has happened to me while reading “Wild Goose Chase” by Mark Batterson.  After getting into the book a few chapters I decided to start over and get my highlighter out to mark some thoughts.  I have not done that in years.  But then that line came up, I read it, reread it and then had to find a new color highlighter to mark this one.  It has made me rethink my life and how I have stepped out for Christ. 

The line was “We need to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.” That’s it!  That is the answer that I needed when I was setting up mission teams that did not guarantee 100% safety.  During my years of mission trips I have gone to some places that people thought I was crazy for going to, like Afghanistan, China, India, Haiti, and Indonesia.  Many of the trips were during times of unrest, when there were issues that scared others away.  But that line put into words what I was thinking then.  I always had this thought that, even though I would like to die an old man, I was not going to back away from the Lord’s work because of fear, not even fear of death.

Now let me also state that on every trip I have taken security has been a top priority.  We cannot be stupid in the area of safety or security.  But God’s work is not only in the best sections of town.  It is also in the streets and ghettos. There are risks involved, but what in life does not have risks.

We live in a world where things are going extreme.  Just look at the rise of extreme sports over the last decade.  People are looking for vacations that put them out in the real world. Well, the real world needs to know about God’s love more today than any other time in history.

I have to admit that I am a closet trekkie fan.  I grew up on Star Trek and always was amazed at the Klingon concept of honor.  One of their points of honor was not to grow to be an old man but to die in honor in battle.  Now I do not like the dying young part, but the concept that if I must die (which we all do) there are issues worth dying for that must be considered. 

My best case scenario is to be an old man on my death bed knowing that I did not let fear control my actions, that I was extreme for the Lord, and to have the joy of knowing I will soon be worshipping with people of all nations around the throne of God, some of which are there because I was extreme enough to step out of my comfort zone.

“We need to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.”