Here’s the third in a list of excuses we use not to care more about the world outside our doorstep, based on a talk Adam and I gave recently.

3. The Security Monger. There’s a thousand things the media and our neighbors tell us to fear today: we could list playgrounds, E. Coli, Salmonella, BPA, recalls, health insurance, escalators, rollercoasters, pesticides, water supply, air quality, gas prices, cell phones, immunizations, strip mining, inflation, dehydration, guns, gun control, climate change, stock market, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, SARS,  unemployment, workaholism, stress, boredom, death, and life!  What all these fears add up to is a big excuse to stay home, take no risks, and care for your big Me before anyone else.  Jesus is pretty clear on this one: take up your cross and carry it. I like 1 Peter 3:13-14:  “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.  But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.”

When fear and danger set in, we need to remember Christ’s love is 100% assured at all times, and in everything Christ is Enough with a capital E.

When you catch yourself praying for security, stop.  Instead pray to experience God’s love today.  I recently tried this while riding helmetless on the back of a backfiring motorcycle racing over Kenyan roads in a mad dash to catch a bus, and to my surprise, praying I’d experience God’s love (even if I ended up spread across a remote Kenyan road with gravel in my forehead) made the ride a lot more fun.

Here’s a challenge for your week: every day make one intentional attempt to stretch your faith by doing something just beyond your normal limits.  Take a walk with a homeless lady, check out a library book on a new topic, start up a bold conversation during your lunch hour, hand write a letter to a politician, to your newspaper, or to someone in Mali.  Faith is a muscle, so work it.  Write back and tell what you tried.  I’m sure others would love to hear!