Today my ministry was teaching English at the Lutheran church in town. It didn’t look like any English class that I have ever been a part of, though.
What that looked like was a game of tag.
Crystal and I were waiting for students to arrive so that we could begin our class. When no one showed up we thought that it might have been because our students were operating on Bolivian (late) time while we still operate on American time. Sitting there, feeling like we might be not end up having a class, we noticed these two little girls playing on a giant concrete slide. Figuring that the students would or wouldn’t come regardless of if they met their teacher sitting in a chair or sliding down a giant slide I stood up and walked over to the slide. The two little girls watched me as I walked up the hill that took you to the top of the slide. They said a few words in Spanish but I couldn’t even pretend to understand so I just smiled and continued to the top.
As I sat at the top of the slide, smiling at the two little girls, I decided that I was going to get them both to smile.
After a few times down the slide we were all giggling and saying things that neither group really understood and then something happened, a game of tag began. At first it was just me and the two little girls on the slide then a little boy came from off the street into the courtyard. Another little girl came about ten minutes later with her mother. Then a missionary family that lives next to the church got home and two of their little boys hopped the fence and came over. All in all there ended up being around nine people running up and down the slide and around the church courtyard screaming, “quien es?” and “no me manchas!” By the end, though, each person that became “it” was surrounded by people calling for them to be tagged and it was like the game was turned on its head.
Something that I observed while we were playing was that while Crystal and I were slower and took more frequents stops away from the frontlines of the game the kids stayed close enough to the danger zone. There was no fun in the game if you weren’t in danger of being tagged. You might have stayed safe but there was no point in the game, it wasn’t played with the intention of being safe from the tagging.
The same is true with our life in pursuit of Christ and the lives that He created us to live.
So often I find myself praying for safety, in traveling, conversations and anything else that I can think of but safety is not something that we are called to. Paul didn’t say that to die for Christ was gain (Philippians 1:21-24)… unless it was going to be a painful death. He said that regardless of the death losing his life for the Lord itself was gain. He spent so much time in prison for what he believed the Lord was calling him to and even that didn’t make him pause. Each time that he was confronted with the decision of safety and staying home or traveling into towns where he might be persecuted or placed before those that hated him he took the route that would further the kingdom of God.
As Christians we could lead safe lives, never taking risks that seem insane, but what is the point in that? God does not call us to safety and when we try to lead safe lives we miss out in taking part in the things that reveal His glory. A hard conversation with someone could lead to the planting of a seed for them to develop a greater desire to learn about who God is. A faithful step into giving something up might prove space for God to work something out for your good in a way you could never have imagined yourself. Living in risk leaves room for dependence upon God that being safe doesn’t.
It’s hard not to pray for safety, I still have to catch myself, but the things that God has in store for you require you not to be safe but willing. Willing to be completely dependent upon His plan, timing and desires. How much better will your life be when it is lived in surrender to the One that can see your life completely in a glimpse?
