The Idolatry of Safety

My favorite scene in C.S. Lewis’s book, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is when the children are learning about Aslan, the Christ figure in the books, for the first time.  In the scene, Susan, Lucy, and their brothers are talking to Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, who inform them that Aslan is likely not exactly what they expect:

“Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great Lion."

"Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"...

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

He’s not safe.  But He’s the King.  How often do I live in a way that equates safety with God’s goodness?  I mean, this is crazy thinking, right?  But don’t we all feel this way sometimes?  Even though the Bible clearly says that following Jesus means taking up your cross (which doesn’t sound very safe to me) and we know there are believers in China and North Korea and Afghanistan who willingly risk their lives for the sake of the gospel every day. 

I get bored when things are status quo and I can’t see anything new or exciting on the horizon.  I want this joy-filled, abundant life that Jesus talks about in His Word.   And yet I struggle to make decisions sometimes, because what if it’s the wrong one?  And I get scared when I feel like God is asking me to step outside of my comfort zone.  I don’t want to take risks, because what if I fail?

The reality is, if I am truly seeking to follow the Lord, there are certain things I can expect, even through the unexpected.  Take a look at what David says in Psalm 23:

            The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing, He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.  He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

So while following Jesus is going to be a lot of “hold on for the ride”, this is what I know for sure:

1.      I will lack nothing I NEED (food, water, rest for my soul).  (vv.1-3a)

2.      He will guide me to make the right decision for His name’s sake (v.3b).

3.      That might lead somewhere scary (v.4). 

4.      But He will be with me and He will comfort me (v.4).

A few months ago I was hanging out at my older sister’s house with her and another friend, both of whom have toddlers.  Somehow, the conversation shifted to diapers (because, doesn’t it always when you’re with friends who have babies/toddlers?)  Specifically, both my sister and her friend were discussing how much their toddlers hate getting their diapers changed, especially when it’s a poopy diaper. 

“I don’t get it,” I said.  “You would think that would be so uncomfortable, right?  Why wouldn’t they want that changed?!”

Leave it to my sister’s friend to tie that into something spiritual. 

“Yea,” she said.  “But I think I do that sometimes with God.  Like He tells me to do something, that is going to be for my own benefit, and I’m too stubborn to change.  Or let Him change me.”

Oh.  That took an unexpected turn, didn’t it? 

I think back to my last few years of teaching, when I was feeling a deep restlessness but wasn’t really sure what to do with it.  And even when the opportunity came up to join FCA, I fought it for so long.  I was clinging to what was comfortable in an effort to maintain peace and a feeling of safety in my life, but the harder I clung, the more restless my soul felt.  It makes sense, though. David said in psalm 62, "my soul finds rest in God alone." Why would I think that by holding onto things and people with white knuckles that I would feel more at peace than surrendering control to the God of the Universe?  This God who promises, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

In Desiring God, John Piper puts it this way, “The Calvary road with Jesus is not a joyless road.  It is a painful one, but it is a profoundly happy one.  When we choose the fleeting pleasures of comfort and security over the sacrifices and sufferings of missions and evangelism and ministry and love, we choose against joy.”

Jonah 2:8 says, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs.”  Comfort and safety have certainly been idols in my life and God has been doing a lot these past few years to loosen my grip on them.  It isn’t always fun, but there is such joy in witnessing the work God is doing and knowing that I was invited by Him to be a small part of it.