Sunday, February 8, 2009

The safe place


"I have come to see that we Christians are not called to safety, but we are promised that God will be with us when we are in danger and there is no better place to be than in the hands of God. Perhaps the most dangerous place for a Christian to be is in safety and comfort."
--Shane Claiborne

A friend sent me this quote after I emailed about my time here in Tijuana. One of our staff was walking home at 9:30 at night and got mugged. She should not have been walking alone.


I woke up one morning thinking about the safe places in life and the quote. I was thinking about how I asked for prayers for our safety, when I should have asked for prayers for the violence to end here and this place to become a safe place for all who live and work here.

I am in the hands of God no matter where I am in the world, the red light district of Pune, feeding orphans in South Africa, Starbucks at home, on one of my walks, or in downtown Tijuana prayer walking, etc... When I am in the not so safe places I find myself leaning into the hands of God and depending on the leading of the Holy Spirit.

So, I do ask that you pray for Tijuana, Mexico. The violence here is affecting the poor. It is affecting Homes of Hope. Many teams are not going to come a build houses because of the news reports of the violence. It is sad to me that the enemy is using fear to keep families from receiving homes.

My challenge to myself and others is to remember we are in the hands of God and instead of always praying for our safety, lets pray for the not so safe places God send us to. Let's pray for the violence to end. And may we not give in to the fear of the enemy!!

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