The title of the last chapter in the book our spiritual growth group is reading is simple enough. Love Wins. It accompanies the story of Daniel in the lion's den, which is probably up there with the top ten action Bible scenes, at least for nine year old boys. Girls too, as evidenced by the quick exchange that happened in church. The minister asked for volunteers to be the angels protecting Daniel, and a troop of kids came up. They were adorned with white sashes. Then he asked for kids willing to be the lions. One of the girls immediately handed in her sash and lined up with the big cats. 

You would be hard pressed to find a more fierce symbol for danger than a cave full of hungry lions. Yet Daniel is miraculously protected. I am unsure if he was confident that he would be safe or not. He went anyway. In the preceding chapter about his friends who were thrown in the fiery furnace, they chose to defy the evil king whether or not there were consequences. They knew the risk. As it turns out, there was not a hair on their head that was singed. The text does not specify whether Daniel was as completely unscathed, though the fact that the lions's mouths were shut suggests as much. 

I like a sure deal as much as anyone. Knowing ahead of time that a particularly critical person will not cross my path is a relief. I can enter the conversation with bravado, not needing to protect myself from pointy comments. Yet this story, and others like it, offer up the disconcerting possibility that I need to stride into the fray without such assurances. Even if there are teeth in the room, I can choose to believe that love wins.