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Trek 2008 - How Do You Define Safety?
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Trek 2008 –How do you define safety?
By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" Matt 14:30-31 NIV
Were you safe today? What did you do to stay safe? Did it work? Did you feel safe?
I arrived in Washington mid-afternoon. Bob was due to arrive the next day. Since there were no campgrounds near the airport, I checked into a hotel. It had been a long day and I needed to laugh. Bob had already seen the movie Get Smart, so I programmed my GPS to find the closest movie theater and went in search of laughs. When I parked my car, it was daylight, families milled around, and I could hear talking and laughter. I felt safe. I laughed aloud throughout the movie and left in a good mood. When I went back outside, it was dark and what had felt safe, seemed menacing.
I noticed a homeless man huddled under a staircase. A single man, talking on his cell phone, left the theater the same time as I and headed to the same now isolated part of the parking lot. I slowed my pace and waited for him to get ahead of me. Teenagers wearing low hanging pants and chains replaced the families I had noticed earlier. I put my purse over my neck, hugged it closer, and tried to imagine what I would do if someone tried to take it. As I climbed in Halleluiah, my fear was building, and I quickly locked the door.
Belle had stayed at the hotel so when I climbed in Halleluiah, I became afraid that someone might be in the back of Halleluiah. Heart pounding, I turned around to search the cabin. It was dark and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. No one was there.
My GPS had found the hotel and the theater so logically, I knew that it could find the way back. Yet, as I began the drive back, I lost my faith in the GPS. After all, it had been lost before. The GPS had a good memory and didn’t get lost.
When I got to the hotel, my key didn’t work. Poor Belle watched me fumble with the key as I stood alone in the dark trying to get in. I looked around and it occurred to me that I had broken my cardinal rule about females traveling alone. I had stayed somewhere that had doors on the outside to the parking lot. I went to the office and got a new key.
At the office, the desk clerk, who had seemed so friendly earlier, frightened me. I worried that he knew I was going into the room alone, which was just two doors from the office. I got inside and bolted the door, only to remember that Belle needed to walk.
While we were outside, a woman stepped outside her room to smoke and even she looked menacing. I cried foul, stomped my foot at Satan, and put my trust back in God.
People tell me I’m brave to do what I do. You can see from this story that I’m not. In every one of the circumstances I mentioned, something bad could have occurred and tonight my fear had a party. I’m not brave, but like many others, I have made the decision to fulfill my call from God and to keep my eyes on God while I do it. Occasionally, like Peter who took his eyes off of Jesus, my eyes slip and fears come crashing in.
My calling from God is to travel the country, mostly alone. That comes with risks. My risks are greater than some but much less than others are called to take. I have safeguards to manage the risk but they don’t always work or may not be practical in certain circumstances. Occasionally, I just forget to take them. Sometimes God actually calls me to do something contrary to my normal safeguards. If I focus on the risk instead of the call, I become ineffective at fulfilling the call. If risk were a reason to ignore a call, there would be no soldiers, missionaries, police, or firefighters and Jesus would not have died on the cross.
So back to my question – were you safe today? The answer depends on our definition of safety. For a short while today, my definition of safety revolved around my physical wellbeing on earth. When I corrected my vision and locked eyes on Jesus, the definition changed. True safety is rooted in making the most of our short time on earth to build the kingdom of God. We feel the safest when we walk with God, regardless of where that walk takes us on earth.
PS - You may be wondering how going to the movie Get Smart helped build the Kingdom. I wish I could tell you I witnessed to 5 people, rescued three small children, and climbed a tree to save a cat. It could have happened that way. This time, the movie just made me laugh and trust me, if I don’t keep my sense of humor, these journeys are impossible. Besides, it inspired this story.
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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Gail Golden at 904 316-5462.
This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road as a traveling missionary, send your tax deductible contribution to Pocket Full of Change Ministries, POB 51205, Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32240.
© Pocket Full of Change Ministries
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