I appreciate that as a husband and father, you would want to protect your family from any sort of harm, that is only natural, right, and good. God, I think, is the same way.

At the same time, God spared no expense, even giving his only son, that others might know freedom, release from oppression, healing, new life – salvation. Not only that, he calls his people, the church, to be his representatives on earth, being willing to put themselves in harm’s way for the sake of others. It is no simple matter, but inasmuch as we are called to live incarnational lives after the pattern on Jesus, this means being with (not temporarily, but in the sense of sharing life with) the poor and oppressed. Sadly, where they are is often where it is most dangerous and where we lest want to live.

I am not advocating wanton disregard for safety or foolish decision making. What I am saying is that we need to ask ourselves, “What would have become of us had God played it safe?”

Like I said, I don’t have a family of my own yet, but I hope that when I do, that God might give us the courage to decide together to be present with those who live in areas no one else wants to go so that they too may know the salvation which comes through Jesus Christ – even if it means risking our lives.

Incidentally, another struggle for me is the burden I have for suburban Christians whose lives of comfort, consumerism, materialism, and individualism are an utter affront to the gospel Jesus came to announce – these people too are oppressed, just in a different way. I wrestle daily with how to liberate these sorts of people for the sake of God’s Kingdom and mission without selling out. This is a struggle in and of itself, but doubly so because it afford me the opportunity to not go to the sorts of places I described above.

I don’t have it all figured out.

Although I live in Kearny, NJ, which is situated directly next to Newark, NJ, I would think twice before moving my family to Newark. Crime is a far more serious problem there.

If I ever get climb above the working class into true middle class, I’ll at least move west within New Jersey for better schools and even better security. Or, I might just relocate to another state, like New Hampshire.

Of course, if I ever fall into the suburbanite habit of driving to my white collar job in an air-conditioned SUV, park in the internal parking lot, and then drive home and park directly in my garage without once having to see a neighbor…then I’ll start to worry.