The Magic Genie

Last night Kennedy was telling me about the world from her perspective. At one point she said, “God keeps us safe and so we won’t get hurt and we won’t die.” I thought to myself, “Man, I wish she was right.” Wouldn’t it be nice to become a Christian and be safe from all harm, hurt and disappointment? Wouldn’t it be something to throw out the bandaids, live with abandon, and never fear loss or dying? If the God we serve was a cosmic shield, there to fend off the bullets of the universe, wouldn’t that be perfect?

And yes, I do know that the God I serve is a provider and a protector. There is a facet of Him that has the power to keep me safe in any circumstance. But that doesn’t always mean that He does. Sometimes, whether it seems fair or right, we…well…die. We suffer loss. We feel pain. And it proves to us all over again that we don’t serve a magic genie there to grant all of our wishes.

Why does He choose not to step in like Indiana Jones and rescue us? Well, because He’s God. He set a day to be born and a day to die. It doesn’t seem “fair”, but somehow, whether we can see it or not, it is fair. God’s love and His mercy is always fair. More fair than we probably want it to be. And the one thing that I can rest in is this…He’s got a plan that includes an entire eternity that I’m unaware of.

So, Kennedy, God is not there to keep us alive on this Earth. He’s there to use this fallen world to mold and shape His children into what He wants us to be. “Safe” on this planet is a very relative term. You will die, just like me, and although I hope that is many decades from now, I am sure of one thing…God will be fair to you in His love and mercy. That is more than I could ever ask for.