Today at church I was at a meeting talking about various church policies to improve safety. It got me thinking about public policy, regulation and safety.
At work, I help to enforce regulations and policies that help ensure the safety and efficacy of medical devices. Next week, my kids have a lock down drill at school. I also have to weigh the risks and benefits of taking a strong medicine that will completely mess with my immune system and sign a paper to agree to treatment. Safety, risk and danger is a huge occupant of brain space, especially for parents who are responsible to make all the health and safety decisions for our children.
And the internet is there blasting out all the risks and terrible diseases, awful things that can and do happen to people and could happen to us if we aren't careful.
It feels like in some ways the world is much safer than the one I grew up in and yet, in other ways it feels like it isn't. And so I spent the afternoon trying to make sense of safety, danger, faith and common sense.
We live in a world that preys and profits on our sense of fear.
Many polls show that people have a gloomier outlook on the economy, crime, the environment and other social issues than what data says. This is a broad brush statement and could take several posts to dissect, qualify and explain.
But, as I reflected, I decided that the point of this post isn't about public opinion or politics, but rather a call to be faithful to the gospel, the good news, in a world that tries to trigger the fear centers in our brains. This is a Lent blog. We are are in the season of following Jesus to the cross. And so the gospel, at the very heart, comingles with safety and danger and faith in the face of such things.
There are so many verses that speak this.. written by people who themselves were prosecuted. Here are a few:
"Don't worry about what your life, what you will eat or drink or what you will wear..."
"So do not fear, for I am with you.."
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but one of power..."
And my favorite
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..."
But what does it mean to trust God?
Does it mean we should do risky things because God will keep us safe?
Clearly, no. But I think, there is an impulse think we can engineer our way to safety. If we can be smart enough, careful enough, we might be able to tiptoe through life and avoid tragedy.
When I learn about about a tragedy, inside there's a little voice that asks, "What caused this, and what could prevent it in the future?" I keep mental notes of dangerous situations and precautions I can take.
I spend a lot of time in nature with my kids and I'm borderline obsessive about weather. I know when and where it is going to be extremely hot or cold, what level of ground saturation can lead to flooding in different areas and the conditions for fires, avalanche and mud slides. I also have decent knowledge of dangerous plants and animals and how to treat burns, deep cuts and other first aid things. I also usually carry a baby carrier that, in a pinch, can be expanded to fit my three youngest children in the case of injury.
But the reality is, as much as I know, as much as I prepare, nature is dangerous. Humans are fragile. And something could happen to me, my husband or one of my kids.
That thought churns the pit of my stomach. It shakes my core and makes me wonder if I should be more careful on our RV trips, or maybe not go to such wild places.
But this is where faith breathes life and love into a place darkened by fear. God is with us.
Not only is God with us out there in nature, protecting and providing for us. But more importantly, God is with us in the unthinkable. God has walked the road of unthinkable sorrow to walk with us in ours.
In the same way that I cannot articulate what faith is any more than I can describe the feeling before a rainstorm; I cannot name the calm that faith gives me in the face of danger.
It is not a reckless, irresponsible impulsiveness but rather a trust that God is bigger than the brokenness of this world and there is not one single thing that I, or my kids, can go through that God will not be with me.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I while I may take steps to be safe. I also remember to not be afraid
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