Dangerous. I have been thinking about this today because of the weather.
We are now truly having winter. The driving situation is quite dangerous today; different reasons all coalescing together. The warm exhaust making icy conditions on cold pavements. The forgetfulness of drivers. Driving speeds not adjusted. All are causing havoc. And that is just trying to get around.
I also saw two hardcore bike riders. One was fully kitted out with winter clothes riding an expensive looking bike. The other also had warm clothes on and was hauling a two wheel cart around behind him with an assortment of undetermined goods behind the bike. The bike, cart and all other gear looked old and battered. And that got me thinking about all our street people and people who are sleeping outside.
Some are doing this by choosing to do so. Others are doing it because of economic necessity. None are being allowed to stay in the downtown area. The city has deemed these encampments dangerous and in need of dismantling. A "one solution fits all" approach to a far more complex situation. I observe that this is also a dangerous approach when decisions are made from one set of criteria alone. Life is far more complex than that and these people did not happen to live there by accident. And what I find fascinating is that God and Jesus call us into situations that we would see as dangerous on the face of them.
What started this was my re-reading of Acts 23 and the trials of Paul. I got to Acts 27 and found a dangerous situation that he warned them about. They insist on putting out to sea in the fall. It is not going to go well for them. Which led me to thinking about other examples across the bible.
Abraham and Sarah's travel in Genesis 11-25. And they are foreigners in all the other countries they visit. Dangerous. Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Dangerous. Even the disciples are not exempt. They have to undertake a dangerous journey in John 11 to get where Jesus wants to go. And all of them survive, arrive and find empowerment in each situation.
I am not advocating that we deliberately jump into dangerous situations. What I am asking is that when we see something that looks dangerous, that we step up to it and not hide. The stranger who needs assistance. And who knows? Just being nice can have great rewards.
I let a man in front of me go first to get his small collection of grocery items. He saw me working over the discounted chocolate bars on sale and handed me a toonie. He said, "We seniors have got to stick together. Let me buy you a couple of chocolate bars." I thanked him and did so. Now, he was unknown to me entirely. Could be me just getting out of the road and witnessing to the kindness of the Lord. Now, not inherently dangerous but definitely out of the usual scope of things. My question is, "Where is out Triune God calling you to be dangerous this week?" Pr. Scott
