Are You A Pioneer?

Periodically throughout the year, I get to travel with our Senior Adults to day trips around our area.  Yesterday we ventured over to Abilene to see Frontier Texas (an interactive history exhibit about West Texas from 1780-1880)  It was most excellent.

The group had been almost 5 years ago when I came, but I didn't go with them then.

Going through the exhibit you really get a sense of what it was like to a pioneer out here on the West Texas plains-facing Comanche Indians, hungry animals, droughts and the incessant wind.  I thought to myself "it takes a special person to be a pioneer; to have the stamina to withstand the unknown for the sake of discovering it for the first time yourself.

It made me wonder how many pioneers do we have today in our faith culture?  Are we exploring new land, new experiences with people or are we comfortable to be settlers who enjoy the work and the safety that have come with the work of the pioneers.

One quote that I read from a pioneer woman struck me.  She said " we have nothing out here, nothing substantial to live on but we depend on one another--every neighbor is vital to us and every friend is our need".  It made me wonder if our own "independence" has kept us in the safety zone and made us more settlers than pioneers?  Have we killed our pioneer spirit/community because we are so self-sufficient that we don't really need to take risks?

So tell me, are you a pioneer?