Church Shootings and the Myth of Safety

"If we're not safe in a mall, or in a church -- when are we safe?  What's happening to us?"

Well, you're never safe.  And the answer to the second question?  Not much.

It's not that stories like what happened at New Life Church or the YWAM training center aren't tragic and sickening -- they are.  But what they're *not* is evidence that something has changed, and now we're not safe.

We never were.

"We", of course, being human beings.  We can buy insurance, we can wear our seat belts, we can bike with a helmet, we can buy that car with the 5-star safety rating, we can look both ways before crossing the street.  We can -- and should, in many cases -- do that stuff.  But we're not safe.

We can be more safe, or less safe, but we can't be safe.  Much of our scientific establishment is focused on a single project:  defeating aging, and ultimately defeating death.  But -- forgive me -- it won't work.  We can delay the inevitable, but the inevitable remains the inevitable.  It's a matter of when.

When we see evil at work, when we see lives cut short, we cry, and we pray for the families involved.  But we should not be shocked.  This has been human experience since the very beginning.  Murder dates back as far as it can go -- think Cain and Abel.  Some historians say there are fewer than 100 years in our recorded history that have not been marked by war. 

We cannot guarantee our safety, nor our children's.  We can balance their diet, guide their steps, hold their hands, buckle them in, and take their temperature.  But we cannot guarantee safety or health.  We've never been able to.  Not in the halcyon 1950's, not in the pioneer 1800's, not here, not there, not ever. 

Evil, disease, and death are many things, many tragic things, but what they are not, truly, is shocking. 

And Jesus spoke to an unsafe people, an ancient people unsure of its status, without modern medicine, without a voice in government, without a guaranteed food supply, and He told them (God, in the flesh, told them) "I tell you not to worry about everyday life...Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need."

We are not safe, but God never promises safety.  He promises -- to those who want to follow His way of living -- that we'll have everything we need.  And that, amazingly, means everything we need to cope with an unsafe world.

Yes, evil is here, and we should not be surprised. 

But God promises, and He delivers, and we should not be surprised.

Comments

[RevJeff]

Great thoughts. Tiffany Johnson was from my home town. (although I think she was 2 when I left...) Sheesh - We live in a world that tries to decieve us into a false sense of safety. It would be far better to live in an understanding of the danger and frailty of life so that we seek a solution to our eternal need.

(real) Peace!

[Christina]

This is a GREAT blog Brant! I was listening Online in Miami, FL when I heard about the blog, and decided to check it out. 3 words... AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! lol... Much Love and God Bless You and everyone at WayFM; You Guys rock! <3

[Kristi]

That is sooooo true. I couldn't agree more. But evil if evil is the absence of God add up all the evil in the world and it tells us how many people need to be forgiven, saved ans sactified