Lasting Safety by Dr. Juan Harrison
As we prepared to leave the grands’ house, Jack came up to Mamaw, hugged her, and said, “Be safe.” I recognized those words as my wife’s admonition to her Pre-K students as she dismissed them each day. Jack was simply returning the favor. I harken back to the good old days of Hill St. Blues when the shift commander would admonish his officers at the beginning of the shift,” Let’s be safe out there.”
So much we’ve taken for granted is gone. Today we don’t pick up hitchhikers. We don’t leave the front door unlocked. The nighttime is no longer a friendly time to walk. A handshake no longer seals a deal. We’re not comfortable with the kids going to play at a neighborhood playground.
My wife and I were talking about how children crave security as many grow up amidst multiple marriages where “Till death do us part” is almost obsolete. No longer can many children feel confident that their parents will stay together, be they married on paper or not. Many are growing up to believe a marriage certificate is only a piece of paper, so why bother.
Churches shrink and even close their doors, often going the way of some of our old favorite restaurants, barber shops, and family grocers. Inside most of us older guys there’s a longing for a return to safer, more predictable, more carefree lives. It ain’t gonna happen. Turn on to TV Land and watch Andy and Barney. Find Dick Van Dyke or Everybody Loves Raymond if you want to see a happy family in 30 minutes.
The Bible tells us we’re not to have a spirit of fear. Fear is a coward and wants us to join his band. It’s our choice. Sometimes a little healthy fear is not a bad thing as we choose to not drive into high water or to stand outside with lightning striking around us. We need to do our part and not let ourselves get into compromising situations that could destroy our families and our lives. I’ve often said life is tough enough just paying bills and trying to do right. May not be the most exciting life, but it surely increases the odds of a better night’s sleep.
I remember an old hymn about being safe in the arms of Jesus. The constant change, mostly not for our benefit, that occurs even while we sleep can leave us anxious and hungering for some semblance of stability in our world. Unfortunately, we’re not likely to find it in a world gone bonkers. We know where to look for the real deal. We need to make sure we’re looking in the right place. Our eternal safety is banking on it.
By Dr. Juan Harrison
