There are things worse than death

John Piper doesn't mince words in this excellent article about raising kids in a missionary lifestyle. The truth is that there are worse risks for our children than death. This is simple Bible-reality. It is not complex or hard to grasp. But not easy either.

"There are things vastly worse than death. Wasting your life is worse than losing it." John Piper

We were shocked at people's reactions when we announced in the midst of preparing to come to Japan that I was pregnant. We had people ask if that changed our plans! 

It didn't at all. And, 19 years later, I don't regret bringing my children up in Japan either. It's surely it's been a challenging journey, though there's not saying whether it would have been that much less challenging in Australia. But they've had opportunities that they wouldn't have had in Australia. But probably the biggest thing is that they've seen us rely on the Lord through the journey. They've witnessed firsthand their parents take the not-so-safe road.

Here are some other posts I've written about risk and parenting:

• Safety and stability are an illusion: http://mmuser.blogspot.jp/2015/09/stability-is-illusion.html
• This is a book review, a book in which the author admits: "I faced the reality that God did not evaluate my  mothering by how perfectly or imperfectly my children developed. Rather, he expected me to address how I influenced my children by how I yielded to his love for me and then acted it out in life. Period. He did not ask me to control their responses, their choices, or their consequences."
• This one I wrote just last month, reflecting that though there are some risks in my lifestyle, I don't need to be afraid: Risk-taking, or not