Lost

Last weekend was YFC's Student Leader Retreat. It was a weekend that was on course to be the usual great time of bonding and learning... and indeed the retreat was all of those things, but it certainly was not typical.

Saturday afternoon three of the girls went out for a hike through the woods. Several other students and staff had taken the same excursion, following the paths down to the creek. But due to some confusion, the girls took a wrong path.

At around 5:30 we started dinner, and some noticed that we were short a few people. We figured out the girls had left around 3pm, and figured there was a chance they just lost track of time. So we waited a little longer. When they still hadn't showed, we sent out a team of three staff members to search for them. By the time our make-shift search team left, it was already getting pretty dark.

Half an hour later, around 7pm, there was still no sign of them, but our three leaders believed they were following the girls' tracks on an unofficial path. The snow was deep, the woods were dark, and one of the three staff following the tracks told me he felt some strong emotions during that time. Walking with his light, warm clothes, and cell phone, he thought of these girls who had been out lost in the cold for 4 hours now. Being lost, alone, and completely ill-equipped, how scared and desperate must they feel? He told me he found himself crying as they walked, with this overwhelming sensation of what they must be feeling. He could see better what they were experiencing because he was walking their path.

I think of the path of man. In this life we are by ourselves, lost, and ill-equipped for the things of life. I believe we all come to grasps with how we have no real control over our lives, and how we really don't know what we're doing... as well as me may put up a front like we have it all figured out.

It was Christ who came to Earth. Christ, who walked the same path as us, and connected with the harshness of humanity. But as much as he walked our path, he was not in he same position as us. He was not ill-equipped. He had the necessities that we did not have... he had the Truth!

Our search team was equipped with blankets, water, communication, medical supplies, and light; all the things these girls needed, but were without. It was a rescue mission. That's why Jesus came, to rescue us. He came with allt he things we needed to save us from our situation.

I don't think that God was unable to relate to humanity without Jesus coming, but it certainly does show us a commonality, an understanding, and an intentionality; joining us in marriage of closeness, love, and rescue.

The girls were found and taken to the hospital. They turned out to be fine, which was great. It was a hard time for everyone, but I do think there is some good understanding that came out of it.

Are You A Risk Taker?

::Note, this is mainly for dudes, but girls will probably find a way of relating it to themselves too::

I have been pondering risk. It came up in a conversation the other day, and then I read an article refuting many ideas in the book Wild at Heart, along those lines.

In a world surrounded by extreme sports, heroic movies, and Nike's "Just Do It" campaign, we feel a need to exercise a life of taking risks. This is especially true of men. As we are weighing it out, we are overcome with the responsibility as MAN to risk our life, limbs, and character to secure our status as "manly."
It is our ability to take risks that determine our strength, valor, and value to ourselves, to others and to our God(?). Risks prove to ourselves that we can do it. Mind over matter. I AM CONQUEROR! THIS IS SPARTA!!! So in short... it's pride. It's me in my ability overcoming fear and doing whatever I set my mind to.

In relation to others, we may now combine our pride with competition and acceptance. Men are always sizing each other up. Sometimes literally, others more abstractly. When I enter a room I always take stock of height in that room and where I rank. This is probably more common being a short guy. We do this in other areas of life too. Who can take the biggest risk and still land on his feet? It's a competition. I think competition might be the most widely used drug in America. It is everywhere; sports, business, church, family... we want to be the best, more impressive than the next guy... but often in the wrong way. And when you land that "jump" of life on your feet everyone will admire you and/or be jealous of you... the thing every guy desires.

Being the best Christian is a game we often play before God. We take the biggest risks in "faith" knowing that if we do it we are going to score some major brownie points with God, and once again the other people in our church will be either admiring or jealous of us, SLAM DUNK! This is a delusion. God is not a risk. He is the anti-risk. He is the safety net. From my standpoint, it seems very hard to not equate faith with risk. Faith is hope in things unseen, it seems to have a risk right there, because I don't know, I can't see what's there. If we believe in the word though, we know there is no risk. Still without faith this is hard to swallow. We see many men and women have been killed for their faith, or have encountered extreme hardship despite or because of their faith. That looks like a risk to me.

If you are a Christian you risk the possibility of hard things like these. NO! These things are guaranteed! Not risk, guarantee.

The real underlying question here is who/what do you fear? A risk is determined by fear. Am I afraid of not being good enough on my own, am I afraid of what people will think of me, am I afraid of regret in life?

28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny^[a]? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

34"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn
" 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -
36a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'^[b]

37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

- Matthew 10:28-39

The Bible clearly says repeatedly that we are to fear the Lord. As we fear the Lord, He proves that all else is not worthy to be feared, because he has authority over all. We all should fear for our souls. Living a life apart from complete faith in God introduces a risk far surpassing anything we can incur in our current state.

We must not consider our faith a risk or an opportunity to show our own greatness. Rather it is a time for humility, to revel in God's faithfulness and authority in keeping to His promises. We have enough witnesses to know not to doubt, for God is not a risk taker. So let's grow in patience that is often very lacking in our "risk-taking" lives. Let's know we are avoiding the largest risk by keeping small and true under Christ's vast righteousness.

I was largely inspired to write this after reading a passage out of the book of Sirach. I'm going to end with that chapter.

1 My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for temptation.
2 Set your heart right and be steadfast, and do not be hasty in time of calamity.
3 Cleave to him and do not depart, that you may be honored at the end of your life.
4 Accept whatever is brought upon you, and in changes that humble you be patient.
5 For gold is tested in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation.
6 Trust in him, and he will help you; make your ways straight, and hope in him.
7 You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; and turn not aside, lest you fall.
8 You who fear the Lord, trust in him, and your reward will not fail;
9 you who fear the Lord, hope for good things, for everlasting joy and mercy.
10 Consider the ancient generations and see: who ever trusted in the Lord and was put to shame? Or who ever persevered in the fear of the Lord and was forsaken? Or who ever called upon him and was overlooked?
11 For the Lord is compassionate and merciful; he forgives sins and saves in time of affliction. 12 Woe to timid hearts and to slack hands, and to the sinner who walks along two ways!
13 Woe to the faint heart, for it has no trust! Therefore it will not be sheltered.
14 Woe to you who have lost your endurance! What will you do when the Lord punishes you?
15 Those who fear the Lord will not disobey his words, and those who love him will keep his ways. 16 Those who fear the Lord will seek his approval, and those who love him will be filled with the law. 17 Those who fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and will humble themselves before him.
18 Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, but not into the hands of men; for as his majesty is, so also is his mercy.