Unnecessary Risks?

We don’t always know what it is we’re risking. Life is risky. Walking out your front door is risky. Taking a bath is risky (the most common and serious accidents  in your home happen in the bathtub!). But Jesus didn’t call on His followers to live “safe lives” and He modeled the perfect life doing His Father’s will in an unsafe world.

Mission trips are inherently dangerous. We don’t want to take unnecessary risks. But just what is an “unnecessary risk”? I haven’t found a definition but here are some thoughts on how we view risks:

1. Life is a risk, there are no guarantees. But we take reasonable precautions- we fly on reliable airlines, partner with in-country hosts who are aware of safety issues.

2. Jesus rewards risk. In Matthew 6:25-33, Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about food or drink or clothing but to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  Then in chapter 10, He sends the disciples out on the road telling them they will face hostility and persecution. In verse 32, Jesus explains why He is sending them and what their reward will be: “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men., I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”

3. Manage (not necessarily avoid) risk: 

-Be alert to what is going on around you

-Be knowledgeable about Dominican culture -Be wise: stay in groups, don’t flash money or expensive items around and listen to the Guesthouse hosts (and your Team Leader)

4. When we do need to risk, risk on things that are worth it. That may mean doing things that will build trust (eating local food, for example) or spiritual realities the world simply cannot see.

5. Don’t look for risk! Thrill seeking is not a part of missions.

6. When something bad happens-and something bad will happen-be calm and compliant. Remember that God is honored by your risk for Him

7. Don’t focus on eliminating or managing risk on the mission trip. God is in control of ALL things.

Elisabeth Elliot (wife of Jim Elliot, one of five missionaries killed in Ecuador trying to reach the Auca peoples) spoke at a mission conference in Urbana, Illinois: “The will of God is not something you add to your life. It’s a course you choose. You either line yourself up with the Son of God and say to the Father, ‘Thy will be done’ or you capitulate to the principle which governs the rest of the world and say ‘My will be done.’” 

“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Matthew 10:28