Thursday, February 08, 2007

The Christian Life

I've made it a point not to be particularly autobiographical in my blog. This is mostly because I wanted to discuss issues that I feel get clouded when personalized and hinder real discussion. But today I feel that the subject I want to discuss cannot really be done so from an objective perspective.
It started the other night when I was talking to my wife. We were discussing our weeks and things that we have been thinking about. Last week I had been thinking a lot about where i was in life and if I was truly following God's will. For years I have played and recorded music and I always felt like that was a gift from God that would fit into a key part of my life somehow. But at this point it has not. When I was younger i pictured myself going to a place like Greenville college or maybe Hillsong and then touring possibly as a musician but more likely as a sound technician of some sort or maybe working in a studio. I wanted my ministry to be something fast paced and uncertain. Something more on the edge (to resurrect that horrid cliche one more time). But here I am working in a office, living in a nice little house with a wife and a dog and going to a "boring" church (by worldly standards). So as i looked over my life this past week I wondered, what happened? I began to seriously doubt my place in life and in God's plan. But as I talked to my wife and let these ideas roll out of my mouth I realized something. All these boring aspects of my life are things that my wife and I put serious prayer into and received major confirmation from God (in far too many ways to list here). But despite this I still had this sort of panicked feeling that maybe I was supposed to be somewhere else doing something exciting, but why?
Then it all started making sense. I had given into the assumptions of a young evangelical musician. When I returned to Christ my senior year in high school I started attending evangelical churches and groups. From the moment you walked through the door of these places you were barraged with missions and groups that go to far away places. Everything is dominated by this idea of being on the cutting edge, to drop everything and jump into the mission field like Jesus and His apostles. For artistic types the pressure was even greater to go start a ministry somewhere, to travel the world and spread the God's Word through art.
This all seemed very Biblical. Christ abandoned all the security of a home and a paying job in order to spread the Gospel and he called his followers (at least a group of them) to do the same. It seemed simple, the apostles are so often used as examples for the church it only makes sense that our lives model theirs. But as I talked with my wife, God revealed something to me . Where did Jesus eat? Where did he stay? Just look at Matt. 10:11 "Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave." This is just one example of numerous references to the followers of Christ that we so easily forget. The truth is, Christ's ministry would have gone nowhere if the Spirit had not led people to give their homes, food, and money to the new forming church. The book of Acts is a great place to see all of the saints whose duties may not have been as exciting as some of the apostles, but were just as important to God's purposes.
If we all just ran out to be crusaders for our cause, the church would collapse. I think that the church needs to loose its grandiose views of ministry and humbly accept the position that God has given us. Moreover we also need to accept God's timing. I think there are many people that God wants on the front lines so to speak, but that doesn't mean right now. I know God has a lot of things planned for my life, some of which he has shown me in part. But he has a schedule for those things that requires my patience more than my zeal right now.
I remember at my old church, people would be disappointed when they found out that worship was really good at the other service that day or that God moved in some big way at a conference they missed. But in light of what God has shown me recently I think that maybe we should focus more on not wanting to miss God in the not so glamorous ways. Maybe our most illumined and life changing experience with God is going to be had in supporting a missionary, writing a congressman, attneding a Bible study, or even just waiting patiently on the Lord.
Dan, 8:18 AM

2 Comments:

I do agree with what you're saying. I've always held on to the idea that yes, some people will have high-visibility callings, and that yes, some people are going to be the everyday clay pot. I've had to come to the place where I'm okay with being the prep dish, when my human nature would much rather be... I don't know... the gravy boat? Champagne glass? Pudding cup?
Blogger Mrs. Sara, at 8:52 AM  
Here is the kicker...

We are to be servants whereever we are. If God puts you on the "cutting edge" you are there to serve.

If you are at home making babies... you are there to serve..(don't go to some dark dirty place with that comment....)

I had a wise teacher tell me once that sometimes the most spiritual thing a man (or woman) can do is work. To go out and get a job so that he and his family can eat.

All of t his hinges on being like Jesus... and being a servant like Jesus.

Blessings,
iggy
Blogger Unknown, at 12:26 PM  

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