The Illusion of Safety

‘We want your man to be in maximum uncertainty, so that his mind will be filled with contradictory pictures of the future, every one which arouses hope or fear. There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human’s mind against the Enemy. The Enemy wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what MIGHT happen to them.’ ~the demon Screwtape; from ‘The Screwtape Letters’ by C.S.Lewis

So lately we’ve been talking about comfort zones and the difference between comfort and contentment. I think it’s important when considering these things for us to think about this idea of ’safety’.

All of us want to be safe. We lock our doors, get security systems, use metal detectors and bomb sniffing dogs, all so we can feel safe. What is the problem here? The problem is; WE’RE NOT SAFE! There is no way to be safe in this flawed broken world. We can spend heaps of money and time to ‘feel safe’….but it’s nothing more then a feeling…an illusion.

The great joy that we are granted in Christianity is not the promise of safety in this life, but the promise that we will be delivered from death to a new life! But here is the big problem….to get this promise that Jesus gives, we have to STOP focusing on our personal safety in this life.

‘Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.’ ~Mark 8:35

Christ tells us to let go of the fear that traps us in our ‘comfort zones’ and lose our lives in Him!

As Screwtape says in the above quote, God wants us to live, free of the fear that traps us in the mundane! Satan wants us to constantly worry about what MIGHT happen, so that we never step out and try to live!

This illusion manifests itself in many ways. Let me share some of the ways that it traps us. We humans live under the false assumption that if we don’t change things, nothing will change. The truth is that Change is one of the few things that you can definitely count on in this life.

An example: One of the things Laine and I have had to focus on in moving here is to not be held captive by this illusion. When times are tough here, it’s tempting to think about how great our life was in Atlanta….and it WAS great!! We had many great friends, many good times, many, many things that made us feel ’safe’. The illusion here is to believe that IF we had stayed, nothing would have changed. This is ridiculous, of course! but it’s easy to fall into that trap. If I fall into it, I begin pining for a life that doesn’t even exist anymore, while I waste the ONE LIFE that God has given me!

The illusion works the opposite way when I look into the future. I may be considering a step that would take me well out of my ‘comfort zone’. It’s tempting to focus on how ‘risky’ this step might be, and how ’safe’ the status quo is. This is illusion! The truth is that there is alot of ‘risk’ involved in both paths, because they involve life on this Earth. The truth is that there is only one true ’safety’ on both paths….which is giving my life to Christ!

So when my safety is in Christ, what would that look like?

I can go anywhere to serve Him, whether that’s into the urban jungle, the SUBurban wastelands, some far flung part of the world, or my neighbor’s front porch. I can do this because my life is with Christ.

I can be friends with people that might make me uncomfortable, because my comfort is in Christ.

I can endure any sacrifice, insult, or hardship, knowing that Christ and the Father have made their home with me.

I can devote my life to spreading the gospel and serving others, because Christ showed me that this is the ’safest’ life to live!

Please, pray for me that I will have the courage and faith to stop focusing on my safety. I will pray the same for you!

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