What does a very large, heavy rock have to do with our desire for security? It takes a lot of force to move it. Being an engineer, we say the rock has a lot of inertia—resistance to any change in motion. People can be much like rocks. If one feels secure in a particular position, it usually takes a great deal of persuasion and reasoning to change that position. Then actually pursuing a different course of action is not inevitable. People, like rocks, are sometimes almost immovable.
Rocks may not move, but everything in this material world changes. At one time I took my grandchildren to see the town, church, and houses where I grew up. The town of Belcherville, TX, was no more. The church and the primary houses where I lived had disappeared. Even the road where I had walked 1½ miles to catch the bus to school was closed off. You couldn’t tell a road had been there.
All material things are subject to change and deterioration. Engineers recognize this in the Second Law of Thermodynamics. It states all material things then toward increasing entropy or randomness in isolated systems. We cannot escape the physical laws governing our material world.
Sometimes we humans try to stave off undesirable changes and build security through financial resources. We try to build barriers against threats to technological security and personal identity with cybersecurity software. We establish routines and traditions and avoid conflict to protect our emotional and psychological well-being. In spite of this, a sudden stroke, an unexpected car wreck, or a national financial collapse can erase these barriers in an instant.
How then can we find real security and peace when none of these protections can guarantee it? My Christian worldview leads me to conclude that lasting security and peace must come through a transcendent Being. As the Founding Fathers of this nation recognized, we are endowed by our Creator with life—a life made in the image of God Himself. Recognizing His love for us does not eliminate every fear of what happens in this fallen, material world, but it gives us reason not to be governed by fear.
Thus, we have confidence that God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Yes, we should take prudent action and use wisdom to build stability in our lives. Ultimately, believing in the providence of God, we can have peace in the knowledge that He is in control.
But what about the major threats to security—war, terrorism, plague, and similar catastrophic events? I once was told by a very wise lady, “It is not up to us to solve all the world’s problems. That’s God’s job.”
That does not mean we have no responsibility to act. Rather, our decisions should not be governed solely by the desire to protect our personal security. Prudent protection is important, but it cannot eliminate uncertainty.
Thus, from a Christian worldview, the question is not simply how to become more secure, but whether our efforts to obtain security prevent us from doing what we know is right.
When that happens, have we allowed our desire for security to become more important than our responsibility to do the right thing?
My Perspective on Today’s Conversations — Guided by Faith and Understanding
Thoughtful perspectives on contemporary cultural and spiritual conversations, approached with care rather than reaction.
When Does Seeking Security Keep Us from Doing the Right Thing?
What does a very large, heavy rock have to do with our desire for security? It takes a lot of force to move it. Being an engineer, we say the rock has a lot of inertia—resistance to any change in motion. People can be much like rocks. If one feels secure in a particular position, it usually takes a great deal of persuasion and reasoning to change that position. Then actually pursuing a different course of action is not inevitable. People, like rocks, are sometimes almost immovable.
Rocks may not move, but everything in this material world changes. At one time I took my grandchildren to see the town, church, and houses where I grew up. The town of Belcherville, TX, was no more. The church and the primary houses where I lived had disappeared. Even the road where I had walked 1½ miles to catch the bus to school was closed off. You couldn’t tell a road had been there.
All material things are subject to change and deterioration. Engineers recognize this in the Second Law of Thermodynamics. It states all material things then toward increasing entropy or randomness in isolated systems. We cannot escape the physical laws governing our material world.
Sometimes we humans try to stave off undesirable changes and build security through financial resources. We try to build barriers against threats to technological security and personal identity with cybersecurity software. We establish routines and traditions and avoid conflict to protect our emotional and psychological well-being. In spite of this, a sudden stroke, an unexpected car wreck, or a national financial collapse can erase these barriers in an instant.
How then can we find real security and peace when none of these protections can guarantee it? My Christian worldview leads me to conclude that lasting security and peace must come through a transcendent Being. As the Founding Fathers of this nation recognized, we are endowed by our Creator with life—a life made in the image of God Himself. Recognizing His love for us does not eliminate every fear of what happens in this fallen, material world, but it gives us reason not to be governed by fear.
Thus, we have confidence that God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Yes, we should take prudent action and use wisdom to build stability in our lives. Ultimately, believing in the providence of God, we can have peace in the knowledge that He is in control.
But what about the major threats to security—war, terrorism, plague, and similar catastrophic events? I once was told by a very wise lady, “It is not up to us to solve all the world’s problems. That’s God’s job.”
That does not mean we have no responsibility to act. Rather, our decisions should not be governed solely by the desire to protect our personal security. Prudent protection is important, but it cannot eliminate uncertainty.
Thus, from a Christian worldview, the question is not simply how to become more secure, but whether our efforts to obtain security prevent us from doing what we know is right.
When that happens, have we allowed our desire for security to become more important than our responsibility to do the right thing?
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