What if I told you that one of the greatest dangers, we as American Christians face, is the danger of being too concerned with safety and comfort? Could it be possible for safety or comfort to be an idol? In my assessment, these are more than just potentially idols for many American Christians. It is an actuality for many of us in this nation.
Has a concern for safety or comfort ever kept me or you from following Jesus into a difficult place? I’ll answer for myself … Yes. Yes, it has. There have been times when I have obeyed the dictates of safety consciousness more than the leading of my true Lord, Jesus Christ. Perhaps you could say the same thing about yourself. Perhaps some parts of town are at a higher risk of crime, but those areas still need servants of Jesus entering with His light and love. Perhaps some parts of the world are more prone to disease or persecution, but those areas of the world still need servants of Jesus going there with His message of good news. Jesus tells us, “If anyone wants to be my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35)
I write about this today, on Senior Sunday, when we recognize and celebrate with our Seniors graduating from high school because soon they will be pursuing degrees or careers and making many decisions that will in large part determine the course of their lives.
I speak to our Seniors … make these decisions as a person who has Jesus sitting on the throne of your heart. Prioritize kingdom values like faith, love, and sacrifice for the benefit of others (oh, this goes so far beyond simply attending church). Practice questioning your desire for safety and comfort. Always ask yourself if that desire is keeping you from following Jesus with abandon. When you are faced with a choice, ask yourself which choice will require more faith, more love, and more sacrifice. Then, with your eyes clearly focused on Jesus, turn toward the choices that will cause you to lean on Him more and allow you to see Him work more. This path will lead you to less comfort, less safety, but more undeniably blessed experiences with our Lord as you walk with Him. This is the fertile soil out of which the abundant life which Jesus gives can grow in us.
I speak to parents of our Seniors (and I am one of those) … if your children make the kinds of choices I am suggesting above, it will lead them to less comfort and less safety. Obviously, this will create the potential for you to worry more. It may take your adult children (and your grandkids) to corners of the world you never dreamed of. While the potential for more worry will be there, so will the potential for more trust and the growth that such trust facilitates in your life. As a parent, you will be tempted to remind them of safety concerns. There is nothing wrong with encouraging caution and appropriate precautions but beg the Lord that He keeps you from ever discouraging your children from walking a risky path in obedience to Jesus’ call.
I speak to our church … we also have a role in helping our young people dream bigger dreams than safety and comfort. Let’s dream with them about a role in God’s kingdom that will have eternal consequences. Let’s dream with them about serving the “least of these”. Let’s dream with them about building a life around Kingdom Vision rather than the American Dream. Let’s ask better questions about potential careers than “how much money is in that?” Rather, let’s ask things like, “what do you hope to accomplish with your life, and how will that career help you do that?” Oh, and they need to see us faithfully following Jesus into situations which take a lot of faith and even scare us a bit.
May we follow Jesus with a concern for His glory that far exceeds any concern we may have for our own safety and comfort. Let’s abandon the lesser cause of our comfort for the greater cause of His glory.