Safe

28/3/2020

As I wrote this short piece, I kept thinking: ‘God calls us to be wise...but he doesn't call us to be safe.' What do you think?

'Human life must be risked if it is to be won.’ (Jürgen Moltmann)

It’s natural to feel afraid, especially when the threat is real. Today, we are bombarded from all directions with messages to Stay Safe. It’s good, wise and rational advice in the face of a serious global pandemic. After all, our actions as individuals, communities and nations impact not only on ourselves, but also on the health and wellbeing of others too. Yet an imperative to Stay Safe, if that’s the only thing that matters, can turn us in on ourselves; cause us to retract and to retreat.

A physical lockdown can all too easily become a psychological, emotional, spiritual and relational lockdown too. It can become a fight-flight-freeze response, a defensive, self-protective barricade. It takes awareness, love, courage, faith and hope to break out, to break through and not to break down. I was humbled and inspired by this poor woman in the Philippines this morning. I pleaded with her to Stay Safe inside, but all she could think about were the vulnerable people left outside.

She wrapped her face in a headscarf, the best she could manage, prayed to Jesus, then went out to the local market, bought 50kg of rice and gave it out to poverty-stricken day-workers at the roadside; people who live at subsistence level, people left destitute by the effects of the lockdown. In doing so, she quite literally saved their lives. I believe this model of loving, courageous, self-sacrifice in the face of imminent risk may have saved something in my life too. Let’s Stay Safe…but not too safe.

Are you struggling with a 'safe-too safe' dichotomy? How can I help you? Get in touch! [email protected]

24 Comments

Gwen Griffith

28/3/2020 10:32:26 pm

Good word.

Nick Wright

29/3/2020 12:46:21 pm

Thanks Gwen. I keep thinking: Jesus calls us to be wise...but he doesn’t call us to be safe. 🤔

Geoff Williams

29/3/2020 05:08:28 pm

Humble power humbles the powerful with its simple beauty.

29/3/2020 05:09:05 pm

Hi Geoff. Indeed...and well said.

Jane Holliday

29/3/2020 07:45:59 pm

To truey love and truely care for an individual or community may mean putting yoursef second and maybe, or maybe not weighing up risk factors. The risk of a loved one not eating , for example, is a far greater risk than this virus. when we truely love others as Jesus did, more than even ourselves means, like the lady in your discussion, she sees others as more important than the risk to her. This is true love. So is this about where we put ourselves in relationton others? If others are equal or more important, the example of this lady would be more common and less of a suprise to us. Are people less important because we don't know them? Sadly in most cases, yes. We are all equal and and special. In this time of fear we see panick buying. What i call the look afer ME response. On the other hand the amount of giving and supporting has far suppassed expectation. We find when we enbark on giving that it is far more rewarding than receiving. Please stay safe, in the light of caring for our fellow humans. Godbless.

29/3/2020 08:31:25 pm

Hi Jane and thank you for such thoughtful reflections. 'She sees others as more important than the risk to her'. Yes, very true...and even though these people were total strangers to her. You reminded me of parallels in this related short piece which features the same Filipina in a different situation: http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/seen-and-unseen

Erik Weber

29/3/2020 10:07:02 pm

Wir können uns Armut in einem Land wie den Philippinen mit unserem westlichen Standard nicht einmal vorstellen. Wie wichtig, notwendig und beeindruckend ist es zu sehen, wie diese Frau ihren Blick auf die Menschen richtet, die ihre Hilfe so sehr brauchen! Weg von sich selbst, hin zu den Bedürftigen. Von Jesus geführt und beschützt!

29/3/2020 10:13:07 pm

Hallo Erik. Ja, ich finde ihr Beispiel wirklich demütigend, herausfordernd und erstaunlich. Ich habe hier einen längeren Artikel über sie geschrieben: http://www.nick-wright.com/a-radical-heart.html

Ian Henderson

30/3/2020 11:21:18 am

Now, that is one very special human being Nick!

30/3/2020 11:22:04 am

Thanks Ian - I agree. As are you!

Sharon King

30/3/2020 11:39:30 am

Lovely Nick.

30/3/2020 11:40:00 am

Thank you, Sharon. ☀️

Katy Steinkamp

30/3/2020 12:08:44 pm

Thank you.

30/3/2020 12:09:24 pm

You’re welcome, Katy. I hope all is well with you.

E.G. (Ervin) Sebastian - CPC, CSL

31/3/2020 05:48:30 pm

It will be interesting [/"interesting"] to see how we'll recover from this major slap on our economy and our lives... I'm guessing millions lost their jobs... in our county close to 200,000 people applied for unemployment - these are the people who were let go due to corona (I hope I remember wrong and this number is for the entire state of North Carolina - but if every state has similar numbers, that's at least 10 Million people in the US alone).

31/3/2020 05:53:29 pm

Hi Ervin. Yes, the impacts nationally and globally are incalculable. The impacts on the poorest and most fragile people and economies are terrifying. I hope the positive experiences of community spirit that we're seeing personally and internationally throughout the world will continue once the current crisis subsides and people, communities, organisations and nations start to rebuild again...

31/3/2020 06:10:28 pm

Nick - so strange, people started calling me Ervin - only my mom called me Ervin in the past almost 20 years 😺 Maybe I should shorten it to Erv - what do you think?

31/3/2020 06:12:07 pm

Hi E.G. Yes, I've always wondered what the 'E.G.' stands for. You definitely strike me as more of an Erv than an Ervin. :)

E.G. (Erv) Sebastian - CPC, CSL

31/3/2020 08:23:42 pm

Let's try it... see how it makes me feel...

31/3/2020 08:28:03 pm

Hi Erv. Funny you should say that. I heard this morning that I will have an article published in Coaching Today (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) on that theme: 'How do you Feel?' (April 2020)

Lana Wildman

4/4/2020 09:13:53 pm

I have been thinking about this a lot--those who have it a lot worse than we do, and usually all the time! Keeps my stuff largely in perspective. Thank you for your thoughts, Nick.

4/4/2020 09:17:51 pm

Thank you, Lana. You're welcome. Yes, I read this week, for instance, that, 'Malaria causes more than three hundred million acute illnesses and kills at least one million people every year.' (Unicef) I believe one of the reasons the Coronavirus is so prominent in our news headlines is that it's affecting the wealthy countries too. We're not used to facing this kind of threat and vulnerability.

Elise Van Vessem link

6/5/2020 12:31:39 pm

I liked the last sentence best and for me, it summed up the entire article... "Be safe, but not too safe". I agree 100%. We don't grow when we're in our comfort zone. We have to step out of that zone so that we can learn, grow and help others do the same. It's scary but necessary.

6/5/2020 12:55:25 pm

Thanks Elise. Yes, sometimes scary...and sometimes exciting. The challenge is to weigh up the risks and benefits...and that’s where vision, beliefs and values play a significant part.

Safe

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