Caution!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how safe our lives are. With the wars going on in the Middle East, with poverty all around world, America is an amazing place to live. How blessed we are to attend a public university like A&M, which I'm convinced is the most Christian non-Christian university in the world. If someone doesn't get plugged in while they're here, it's not due to a lack of religious organizations, that's for sure. This is a great training ground, where you can ponder through your questions, seek fellowship, and seek the truth. In fact, after a while, the training ground can be so comfortable that it's tempting to stay.

I've been told that one's senior year in the Corps is much easier than then when they were a fish. They know what to expect, they've proven they can do it, they've spent the time stretching their limits and seeing what they're made of, they've earned certain rights and respect. But going thru the Corps doesn't prepare someone to stay in the Corps, it prepares them for something more, something greater ahead, bigger challenges and bigger accomplishments.

It's tempting to bask in the glory of our successes and wallow in the comforts of our accomplishments. But stay there too long, and you're surrounded by regrets and what ifs. Peace, quiet, serenity, comfort. These are good things. They refresh us and renew us. But they are only a means, they are not the end. The peaceful times revive us so we can be strong and steadfast during the turbulent times. The training ground builds a firm foundation that God uses to build our futures on. I thank God for the comforts we have here in America, but I pray we don't get spoiled by them. I pray we remember that it is achieved at a great cost and that comfort can be an idol when it prevents us from doing God's will and causes us to look only at ourselves. There are so many lost souls out there. A cushy job and a nice home won't save them, but a faithful servant who steps out of the American dream and into the will of God can, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Along these lines, a quote from "Spiritual Leadership:

"Robert Louis Stevenson called the attitude of safety and security "that dismal fungus." Hudson Taylor took steps of faith that appeared to others as wildcat schemes. The greatest achievements in the history of missions have come from leaders close to God who took courageous, calculated risks.

More failure comes from an excess of caution than from bold experiments with new ideas. A friend who filled an important global post in Christian outreach recently remarked that when he surveyed his life, most of his failures came from insufficient daring. The wife of Archbishop Mowll said "The frontiers of the kingdom of God were never advanced by men and women of caution."

A leader cannot afford to ignore the counsel of cautious people, who can save a mission from mistakes and loss. But caution should never curb vision and initiative, especially when the leader knows God is in control."