Safety First?

God has been so faithful in the past few months, narrowing down our options beautifully from about eight realistic ones to two right now.  We are excited about both of these and continue to pray that He would finalize the right place for us.  

In the process of applying with a mission, being accepted with them and getting several pages of current openings with Dave's skills and gifts, I have been confronted again with the questions that nagged me before we ever went on the mission field; mainly, "Is it safe?"  

I grew up in a home where probably the most frequent statement we heard was, "You are never safer than when you are in the center of God's will."  This was not just a saying; my parents had lived this out practically in amazing ways (more on that next time!).  This became a part of all of us--we really believed it.  Stepping into a "dangerous" place always brings it back up for me, especially when it is frequently asked by others. 

 "Is where you lived safe?" 

 "Is where you are going safe?" 

 "Is it safe for your kids there?"

 "Is it safe to have a baby there?"

Well, isn't safe relative?  I mean, we would have thought it crazy if someone asked if it was safe for us to go to the Boston Marathon, right?  Who would have guessed what could have happened?  And when we look at "safe" or "unsafe" places in the world, we have to look in light of a sovereign, kind God who has our days numbered and our lives in His hands.  And still, when I hear about an opportunity in Nigeria, pictures like this come to mind:

And I have to question my own philosophy. 

And no, we're not on our way to Nigeria, as far as we know.  But it is a good process to walk through, examining motives and commitment.  

We dealt with this after the robbery at Mavuno as well.  

We cannot look our children in the eyes and tell them that it will never happen again.  We cannot even say that if it happens again that God will keep us all alive; only that He will keep us safe, and safe might mean going home to Him.  And that if we spend our lives trying to save our lives, we will often walk away from what we are called to.

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matt. 10:39