Suffering, safety, surprises

The following was part of today's scripture from 1 Peter:

23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,”[b] but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

We at PLU and the church are currently on lockdown: there was a shooting less than a block away from me. First of all, I am safe. Second, as always, I have a few thoughts about this.

On Friday I did a job shadow at World Vision. I spent most of the day looking through pictures taken by World Vision employees... Pictures of the worst of human suffering on the planet. Central African Republic refugees at the airport, South Sudanese refugees, abandoned children, Syrian refugees.

Looking at these pictures reminded me of how complacent we become when we live in the United States; we do not worry about whether we will see tomorrow. And when there is a shooting, we immediately go into safety/hiding mode. 

Most of the world does not have this choice. Safety is a hot commodity, a novelty. It can be taken at the strangest of moments. Anywhere in the world, even in Washington, our safety is at stake.

But we cannot be paralyzed by fear and anxiety. We have to go face the day, and put our best feet forward. Thank God for every day we are safe, and pray for peace on the days we are not. We cannot hide from the truth of insecurity, but we can face it and approach the world with a smile. 

As ironic as this is going to sound, I am going to start the application for Peace Corps soon, with the intention (and prayer) of going to Jordan. I find that my heart is elsewhere--not in the United States. I got to see some pictures of the refugee caps in Jordan on Friday, and I am prayerfully deciding to prepare to go after I graduate. As I said, safety is a commodity. If we can have a shooting near campus, then I am no more safe here than in Jordan.

I thank God for the safety He has provided me with so far, and trust that He goes with me anywhere.