Drive Safe Save Life

The drive safe save life slogan is very popular signage on the back of many Kolkata buses, trucks and taxis. For some reason, the slogan finally stood out to me on my way to the Kolkata airport. The traffic was heavy, the Uber driver was pleasant but knew very little English so I had time to be alone with my thoughts.

I was considering a recent blog entry by my friend, Paul, regarding three encounters with the Outback Subaru. He heard God sharing a message about going out and coming back. It struck a chord with me because every time I go out on the streets of Kolkata, it is unclear to me if I will make it back to safety. So far, the Lord has allowed me to keep on living.

It would be an understatement to say that I have an attitude regarding the organized chaos called “India.” Words cannot adequately describe the aromas, sounds, pollution, disarray, unsafe conditions and overall uncleanliness of India. There are many things about India I find enjoyment in, but overall, it gets a pretty low grade in my choices of hot vacation spots.

Fortunately, I do not go to India for a vacation, I go to serve the Lord and be a light in a dark place. I was asking the Lord on my way out of Kolkata, “why does this slogan, ‘drive safe, save life’ stand out to me?” The verse from Matthew 10:39 came to mind. “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to me, “you cannot be safe and save your life - Jesus said we must lose our life.”

The drive safe, save life slogan in India seems to me like it is falling on deaf ears. From my bias US, very safety conscious camp director world view I have never seen a safe driver in India. Are some safer than others, yes of course, but none are safe. The truth of the matter is that a truly safe driver in India would be run off the road and end up being less safe than the unsafe drivers.

Though the slogan would appear to be ineffective, it provides a new perspective. The fresh understanding for me is that God is calling India to lose its life so that it can find it. God has a way of taking our weaknesses and transforming them into His strengths. Is it possible that God is calling the India people to not be safe, but rather reckless with their obedience towards God. This proper, godly, reckless abandonment of a Jesus follower is the life God has called us to. We give up our life to take on a new life in Christ.

Perhaps God is preparing a spiritual army of Indian people who will rise up as sons and daughters and take back the inheritance that has been stolen from them. They will find their new life in Christ and become victorious. Pastor Abhijit of the House of Prayer put up a banner saying that in 2020 God will do a new thing, as written in Isaiah 43:19. It would certainly be something new for God to pour out His Spirit in India and turn the unsafe drivers into children of the living God, ready to be unsafe for Jesus and lose their lives for His Kingdom.