Thursday, February 11, 2016

The Safety Idol

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39 NIV)

Recently, I was talking with some students about our upcoming mission trips, one to Europe and the other to Central America.  What I heard is what I am very accustomed to hearing: their parents weren’t crazy about the idea of them traveling to a foreign country.  Too far and too risky.  Who knows what could happen to their kids?

Sadly, these parents, many of whom claim to love Jesus and to follow Him, worship at the altar of the safety idol.  And by doing so, unintentionally block or discourage their children from following wherever Jesus wants to lead them.  

We live in a society that worships safety.  We expect, perhaps even demand, a risk-free life.  This is particularly true when it comes to our children.  We see dangers to them lurking everywhere—in our yards, in community parks, at school and on the playground.  We are fiercely protective and, while that often can be lauded, for the Christian parents, it is often reveals a lack of trust in the God who knew them before they were born.  

Like so many parents, those who follow Jesus have bought into the lie that life can be made safe, that our fate is solely in our hands.  The truth is life has never been safe.  We are all mortal beings whose lives can end at any moment.  Life in this fallen world is inherently risky.  So we have a choice.  We can take full responsibility for our own safety and the safety of our children, which leads to a risk-adverse lifestyle and puts limits on the true lordship Jesus has in our lives.  Or we can put our trust in the Lord and follow wherever He leads, which is also risky.  

It is risky because Jesus makes clear following Him involves “taking up our cross.”  The cross in the 1st Century was an instrument of execution.  It symbolized suffering and death.  While it is for us a symbol of hope, we have made it much too shiny and pretty.  There is blood on it and we can’t ignore it.  

To take up our cross is to give our fears to the Lord and follow Him in faith wherever He is taking us, knowing that if we die, we will be with Him in Eternity.  There are no exceptions due to safety concerns.  We either trust Him or we don’t.  This is also true for our children who are becoming adults.  If they are truly seeking to follow the Lord, do we really want to impede them out of fear for their safety?  Does not the Lord care more for them?  And do we love our children more than the Lord?

Today, read these words of Jesus carefully.  Following Him is risky and He never said otherwise.  In the midst of our own fears, we have sought to create a different and safer path on which we and our children can follow Jesus.  There isn’t one.  If we try to save our lives and always protect theirs, we will end up losing ours and teaching our children the same lie.  Instead, let us entrust our lives and those we love to our Creator and Lord who will always protect us, even if He allows us to die.

© Jim Musser 2016

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