Everybody has an intrinsic understanding of the value of being safe. Nobody wants harm or danger to come to their family, health or valuables. We hope for it, we work for it, we even pray for it. As a praying family, it is a common supplication at our house to ask that "no harm or danger" would befall us. Yep, safety is a big deal. Sometimes the things that happen to threaten us, or our things, occur through no fault of our own. Other times, there are things we could have done that would have kept us safe if only we had been just a bit more diligent. I thought a closer look at this would be worthwhile as a reminder, if nothing else.

The first and foremost concern for most people is keeping their family members safe. I don't know how many times we have told our young kids to "look both ways when you cross the street", "come straight home after school", and "don't talk to people you don't know". And the older kids are subjected to a constant barrage of pleas as well. "Do you have your phone?", "call us if you need anything", "drive safe", or "be careful". It hurts when someone we love is harmed in any way. We are like that as individuals, as families, as nations, and as a world. We ALL want to be safe.

Then there are our things. I don't know why we care so much about keeping our things safe, but we sure do. In our modern culture, where we seem to measure our success and worth in terms of things we own, protecting those things has become almost an obsession. Do you lock your car doors when you go places? Do you close your garage door when you aren't home? Do you secure valuables like jewelry, auto titles, financial papers, money, etc. with great care? Of course you do. This attachment to things is certainly understandable, but our things are not who we are. People who understand this are better able to handle the damage or loss of things. People who don't understand this are easily upset or worse, when something happens to their car, tools, or other valuable items. None of us are getting out of here alive and there is only so much we can take with us. Something to think about.

But one must also realize that a good dose of common sense requires all of us to take at least some reasonable precautions to protect the things we own. For example, we own a small safe. We keep valuable documents, a few trinkets, and a little cash in there. It is fire resistant and portable. It isn't the top of the line. It doesn't have any fancy access technology or anything like that. It's just a good quality safe. We lock the doors at night. We are careful when we cross the street, and we say our prayers. But we don't have a psychological meltdown if something happens to our things. We get it that we are more than our stuff. This works for us.

So, recognizing a balance between common sense protection of the people and things in our lives, and not being overly concerned, or even paranoid, is a smart way to go. Find the middle way. Be safe, but don't be obsessed.