Tension!
Tension has been resounding through my life lately. Partially the emotional feeling of it, but what I'd like to explore right now is the mental thought of it. Pondering the fact that so much tension exists within our world, within ourselves, and (what I'll speak mostly of) within the Christian faith.
There's just so much tension: being responsible about tomorrow, while responding today; Christ being fully God, and yet fully man; allowing the Spirit to lead, while knowing you need to take the step; the Kingdom already and not yet; self interpretation of Scripture, or accepting the traditions of church and academic interpretation; friendship evangelism or street preaching; looking forward to the One Day, and dwelling rightly in the now; needing to share what's most Real and True, and doing so properly; and there is o' so much more.
I've been realizing lately, that when one side of these tensions wins over, we lose so much. A push in the far direction of either manifests unhealthy words and actions. "I'm passion about this and want to pursue it, but I don't like the tension I'm feeling," and so "I'll choose this route over the other." And we'll go rallying those around us to our side of right living, forgetting about the thing we desired to pursue in the first place. At the worst of times, we'll end up hurting those around us and divorcing them for not being so aligned with us. Or you'll stand in the opposite of passion, being given to complete laziness, not standing for much, if anything, at all.
Most of these thoughts are being birthed by a Church history class I'm in right now, and to my surprise, nearly all of the significant events we're studying involve factions, schisms, and divisions. And while studying these things all I can think of is Jesus' cry for us to be one, as He is one with the Father, that we may be in Him so that the world may believe that Jesus is who He says He is, that His name might be glorified. And so... what shall we do with all this tension? In the midst of these tensions, how do we live in right relationship with ourselves, the world, the Church at large, and most importantly God ? I certainly don't have any great answers, but I do believe that it might start by not forfeiting the tension. I do believe that it's okay for us to suspend within the tension, for we are finite beings peering into the endless.
May we be the kind of people who roll up our sleeves, stretch out our arms, and grab hold. Father, reveal to us Yourself as we move and dwell within the tensions of our faith.
There's just so much tension: being responsible about tomorrow, while responding today; Christ being fully God, and yet fully man; allowing the Spirit to lead, while knowing you need to take the step; the Kingdom already and not yet; self interpretation of Scripture, or accepting the traditions of church and academic interpretation; friendship evangelism or street preaching; looking forward to the One Day, and dwelling rightly in the now; needing to share what's most Real and True, and doing so properly; and there is o' so much more.
I've been realizing lately, that when one side of these tensions wins over, we lose so much. A push in the far direction of either manifests unhealthy words and actions. "I'm passion about this and want to pursue it, but I don't like the tension I'm feeling," and so "I'll choose this route over the other." And we'll go rallying those around us to our side of right living, forgetting about the thing we desired to pursue in the first place. At the worst of times, we'll end up hurting those around us and divorcing them for not being so aligned with us. Or you'll stand in the opposite of passion, being given to complete laziness, not standing for much, if anything, at all.
Most of these thoughts are being birthed by a Church history class I'm in right now, and to my surprise, nearly all of the significant events we're studying involve factions, schisms, and divisions. And while studying these things all I can think of is Jesus' cry for us to be one, as He is one with the Father, that we may be in Him so that the world may believe that Jesus is who He says He is, that His name might be glorified. And so... what shall we do with all this tension? In the midst of these tensions, how do we live in right relationship with ourselves, the world, the Church at large, and most importantly God ? I certainly don't have any great answers, but I do believe that it might start by not forfeiting the tension. I do believe that it's okay for us to suspend within the tension, for we are finite beings peering into the endless.
May we be the kind of people who roll up our sleeves, stretch out our arms, and grab hold. Father, reveal to us Yourself as we move and dwell within the tensions of our faith.
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