A little while ago, my wife and I
watched the movie “Act of Valor.” At the beginning, one of the characters says that
he fears getting old, because other men would no longer see him as being
dangerous. I also recently heard a song on the radio with a line repeated
several times in the chorus: “I want to be dangerous.” This got me thinking.
What does it mean to be dangerous? Should we be dangerous?
“Dangerous.” This could mean a lot
of different things. It could mean you carry a gun and are ready and able to
use it. It could mean that you hold political or financial power and can use
that to harm your enemies. This kind of “dangerous” boils down to being feared
or being able to hurt someone. I think being “dangerous” goes deeper than that,
though. One does not always fear danger, but one should always respect it. Being an attorney, one of the first examples
that came to my mind of someone who is “dangerous” is an experienced trial
attorney. They may not be physically powerful, or have any particular political
or financial influence. They probably aren’t armed. And yet, a good, experienced
trial attorney is seen as dangerous because of his skill and knowledge. And
because of that, he should be respected. That power or skill or knowledge that demands
respect is a big part of what makes one “dangerous.” But is respect all that
being dangerous is? Why do people with power or skill demand respect? It isn’t
just because they could hurt you. It is because they can change the status quo.
That change could be harmful, or it could be beneficial. A powerful political
figure could inflict harm on his enemies, or he could make changes that benefit
everyone. He can oppose a change that he doesn’t want. He could also do
nothing. It is that potential to make a change that, I think, is the defining
element of being dangerous.
That core element of being
dangerous is also why so many people want to be dangerous. One of the basic
desires of people is to be significant. Some people manifest this desire by trying
to be popular, or rich, or famous. Others try to create something grand – a building,
invention, group, or work of art. Some people have a big family with lots of children;
others devote themselves to their career. All of these are attempts to be
significant. I think the desire to be dangerous is related to the desire to be significant.
If you have the potential to make a change that is at the core of being
dangerous, then you have the potential to be significant.
The next question I ask myself is
what being dangerous means to me as a husband and as a child of God. As a
husband, being dangerous means that I have ability to make changes that benefit
my family. That means providing and leading. Making beneficial changes also
means romancing and loving my wife, and helping our relationship to grow and
thrive. It also means having the ability to prevent harmful changes to my
family. That means protection; protection from physical harm, and from spiritual
attack. These are the basic duties of a husband. So, a husband should be
dangerous.
What does being dangerous mean to
me as a follower of Christ? The natural state of the world and of humanity is
bondage to addiction, violence, and sin. God has made a way for us to be free
through the death of Christ. That was the most dangerous act in history, for it
has made and has the potential to make the greatest change in life of every
person that has ever lived. God has chosen to work out this change through
those who follow Him on earth. This makes us the most dangerous people on
earth. It also means that Satan will attack us and try to emasculate us, making
us ineffective and lukewarm – to make us no longer “dangerous.” Unfortunately, I
think that many Christians have lost their dangerousness. So many people just
go to church, and do little else. But we are called to so much more. We are
called to be set apart and holy – to spend time with and pursue our
relationship with God. We are called to uphold other believers – to live life
together, to love each other, to support each other, share our struggles with
each other, be accountable to each other, to be a community. Finally, we are
called to spread the good news of the Gospel to those who don’t know Jesus.
Those three things are far more complex than I can describe here, but they are how
God has chosen to change the world.
So, I exhort you: be dangerous.
