Yesterday I read something by Eugene Peterson (the guy who translated The Message) commenting about why he wrote one of his books. In essence, he wrote the book (can't remember the title, sorry) as a pastor concerned about American Christianity. His main idea was that those living in the land of the free and the home of the brave should have a bit more spontaneity in their lives. Instead, we live very boring, secure, insulated lives.
I don't want to come across as a cultural critic, because I value security just like the next guy. But you can't take all the variables out of life, nor should you try. That is where faith comes in.
As a man who is stepping over the threshold of middle age, I find myself bored in many ways. Don't get me wrong; I don't want to hear that my wife has cancer or one of my kids has a meth addiction. But does our demand to insulate ourselves from the messiness of life also insulate us from some of its blessings? It can be like the couple who refuses to have kids because they fear bringing them into the world, they aren't sure they can afford them, or they just don't want to sacrifice a secure income. And then you miss out on one of life's greatest blessings, nurturing another human being to maturity. Yes it is messy, risky, and downright difficult. But the payoff can be one of the greatest joys in human experience.
I want to live more like Jesus, who didn't have a place to lay his head, yet lived to the full, in dependence on his Father, bringing the coming Kingdom into the world now.
Modern life can confine and even imprison us in our security, simply because we don't want to take risks or mess with the challenges. But I'm asking God to show me how to live with "responsible irresponsibility instead of irresponsible responsibility" (Mark Batterson, Wild Goose Chase). I'm asking God to lead me from the secure slavery of Egypt into the unknown freedom of the promised land.
