Dire Effects Does Not Mean It Is Not True Or Even Good

A life lesson that is hard to digest, but certainly rings true in my life and experience. It seems to ring doubly true today as we just bought tickets to return to Mali. Yes, the Mali in West Africa that had a political coup and sees Islamic radicals taking over 50% of it's land mass. The place now being referred to as the "African Afghanistan".

Yesterday, when we informed people of our choice,
one person simply sent us a link to some "incident" that occurred in Mali that day. As if we are not aware. Yes, it was not good news, but there has been a lot of that. As if we do not have weekly conversations with locals and the few expat people still on the ground in Mali every day. It's not like we are unaware that there are risks. But the implication at every corner is.....'There is risk, so it's OK to bail Andy'. However, with 5 million in critical food shortage and 500,000 displaced people fleeing the north, this is where someone needs to be.

Richard Rohr sums it up well. Western society, and the western church too, have come to believe our peace, comfort, and 'at ease', is the right of all folks, and that God is in the business of assuring it happens for us. If it's hard, demanding, risky, it's not God's will, it can't be....

Glad I finally understand my comfort is not what life and "God's business" is about. Much of the meaningful things in my life are immersed in risk. Certainly, the best relationships, and most meaningful memories in my life, all trace their roots back to these contexts.  The soft contexts have forged mostly a shallow, "Just smile and wave boys, smile and wave", kind of relationships that lack any real depth and a nonexistent staying power and afford few lasting impressions and memories.
But, I suppose, it could be just me.

"Just because something might have some dire effects does not mean it is not true or even good.  Just because something pleases people does not make it true either."
(Richard Rohr. Falling Upward)