Farmersville Lights 300 x 250

Good News: The myth of safety

by | Jul 10, 2017 | Opinion

By Keith Spurgin

Keith Spurgin is Senior Leader of NewHope Church in Wylie and President of The Growth Resourcing Group

We live in an incredibly safety-conscious society. It seems like everywhere we go and every time we listen to media there is a story about national security, new safety policies, or devices to keep us protected. We even have a government agency called The National Safety Council that spends millions trying to keep us all free from harm.

I get it! Nobody wants to be hurt unnecessarily. Unfortunately, you can’t regulate danger or risk completely out of our lives. Jesus said it this way, “In this world you will have trouble.”

The problem with this fetish for safety is that it causes us to live incredibly cautious lives. Even people of faith get caught in this. We pray safe prayers like:

God keep me safe

God help everything to go smoothly

God help me to get this girl

God help me to get rid of this guy!

There’s nothing wrong with those prayers; they’re just, well, safe. God becomes little more than what I call, Santa Claus God – God, give me what I want and keep me safe. If you’ll do that I’ll live for you.

What happens to our faith when this mythical god doesn’t do what we want, or a child dies, or we suffer?

What if, instead of simply safe prayers, we also prayed something more like this – God do whatever you want with my life!

I’ll be honest, that’s a bit scary. But think of the alternative; stagnation, no growth, boredom. If you want your life to look the same next year, as it looks today, then don’t pray this prayer. If you want your life to look the same in 10 years, as it looks today, don’t pray this prayer. If you want to get to the end of your life and say, “Wow, my life could have been so amazing, but it wasn’t” then don’t pray this prayer.

Mythbuster Alert: Here’s the thing, the world and people are not stagnant or safe. So, if your goal becomes safety and security, you are going to be disappointed over and over. You might as well take some risks! If you don’t engage the adventure, you’re going to miss out on some of the best things in life.

The problem with a risk-free life is it’s also a passion-free life, because without risk there is no passion.

When we started New Hope I prayed this prayer – God do whatever you want.

I had in mind what I wanted him to do – Make the church awesome, successful, me famous…Oh yeah, so we can help others!

I went on a 2 week fast; and that’s when I genuinely prayed, “God do whatever you want. If one person’s life is changed it will be worth it!”

We went through some tough times – When we started we met in the Wylie Opry which was wonderful but had lots of challenges: our childcare facility got shut down by the Fire Marshall, our Kid’s Ministry trailer was stolen one weekend and we didn’t find out until Sunday morning, some people in Wylie thought we were a cult, one of our key leaders tried to split the church, we were criticized because we don’t fit the typical church mold, we have people of every color and political persuasion, and I could go on. All of that has happened while thousands of people’s lives have been impacted and changed for good, marriages have been restored, families brought back together, and leaders empowered to make the world a better place.

Nothing great happens playing it safe. Take a risk and enjoy the ride!

One of my mentors had this quote hanging in his office:

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, “Wow! What a Ride!” – Hunter Thompson (Author).

 

For more stories like this subscribe to our print or e-edition.

Best of 2025 Leaderboard

0 Comments

Subscribe RH Love

Related News

The perplexity of dreams

The perplexity of dreams

I’m fairly certain my dreams have a drug dealer. What is it with dreams? Sleep is supposed to be an 8-hour window (mine’s never that long) when we rest, regenerate, and arise feeling as refreshed as the person in the Folger’s commercial who throws back the covers and...

read more
Vehicle inspections no longer required 

Vehicle inspections no longer required 

Drivers will no longer be required to get annual safety inspections beginning Jan. 1, the Texas Standard reported. However, drivers in the state’s 17 most populous counties will still be required to get an emissions test in order to register their vehicles. While...

read more
Hope for the holidays

Hope for the holidays

I especially love this time of the year! The Christmas season brings back so many fond memories from my childhood. Growing up in the humble neighborhoods of Brooklyn didn’t allow us to have much other than the music of Nat King Cole and Johnny Mathis. I was too young...

read more
What was in store

What was in store

Columnist John Moore likes the local hardware stores. And the free calendars. Photo: John Moore When Wal Mart grew, warnings that it would put the mom-and-pop businesses under seemed to come true. Now, online businesses seem to bring the same threat to Wal Mart. But...

read more
A lot of class

A lot of class

Columnist John Moore’s graduating high school class recently gathered for their 44th reunion. Photo Olyvia Howard Bennett In the movie “The Big Chill,” a group of old friends gather for the funeral of one of their own, and it turns into a reunion. Recently, a group of...

read more
Picturing Grace

Picturing Grace

Columnist John Moore grew up seeing a special painting on his grandmother’s wall. At least, he thought it was a painting. When I was a child, there was a painting that hung on my grandmother’s kitchen wall. It portrayed a man who was praying over a meal of bread and...

read more
Surviving the holidays

Surviving the holidays

The holidays are more than football (here’s hoping watching the Cowboys is the most painful thing you’ll do this time of year) and food. It can be a season of joy, but for many of us, they can be full of difficult interactions. Whether you’re navigating grief or...

read more
Leftover Leftovers

Leftover Leftovers

Columnist John Moore believes some things are better left off holiday menus. Photo credit: John Moore “It’s a leftover. What a sad word that is. Leftover. How would you like to be… a leftover? Well, it wouldn’t be bad if they were taking people out to be shot. I might...

read more
If you build it … sans instructions

If you build it … sans instructions

Columnist John Moore helped his father assemble a storage building on Thanksgiving Day in 1974. His family no longer lives at the house, but the storage building is still standing. Photo credit: John Moore The Beatles had a song called, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts...

read more
Order photos