GET RISKY!
BY ROY GOBLE
Life isn’t safe, and that sounds scary.
Even wrong. But the thing is, God
designs our lives to not be safe . . . and
that sounds even scarier!
As much as we want safety—and
safety’s best friends, comfort and
security—God wants something
different for us. God wants us to
engage the world. God needs us to
engage the world. And we simply can’t
do that when we’re 100% safe.
God understands that when we
prioritize safety we aren’t able to learn
and grow. God is like a loving parent
who tells a child to head outside and
discover. “Hey kids, go make a mess of
things,” shouts God from the porch, “but
be back for dinner!” Like kids exploring
the world, we inevitably make messes
14 • Solutions
and mistakes. Sadly, sometimes we
get hurt in the process, or hurt others.
But if we stay inside, we end up with a
sterile, unhealthy, and skewed view of
life.
As parents, we understand that
it’s wrong to figuratively wrap our
kids in bubble wrap. We understand
that controlling their lives in order
to safeguard against any negative
experiences is wrong (or at least we
should understand these things!). Why
would it be any different with God’s
children? Negative experiences are
part of God’s plan for us to learn how
to depend on God instead of ourselves.
What makes this idea difficult to
accept is that we’re often conditioned
to live by fear, not faith. Perhaps we’ve