It often occurs to me that the journey of living further up and further out seems, for many, to be impossible or at least deeply challenging. To truly think and live from a place of deep theology and deep missiology appears to pull us in directions that create, what feels like, an irreconcilable tension. Because of this, we often feel like we must compromise one of the aspects of this journey. There are exceptions to every rule, but generally, I find that in both individuals and Christian communities, it seems as if we are often more compelled towards one or the other of these two paths. For the sake of brevity, I will not elaborate on supporting that statement with examples. But, I would invite you to consider the Christian landscape (churches, books, podcasts, resources, etc.) and see if you don’t recognize this reality as well. However, I will at least mention that I have felt this pull within my heart and life. If I am naturally drawn towards one of these two paths, it is living further up. I love theology. I love thinking deeply about God, His Word, His reality, etc. I could get lost in reading, studying, and teaching the truths of God. Yet, I recognize that if I am not careful, this can have little impact on my engagement with the people and culture around me in a way that seeks to draw people to Christ. Often, I am more concerned with how right I am than actually engaging people. However, there have been other times when I have felt myself drawn towards living further out in a desire to reach people. Yet, in this pursuit, I feel the draw towards compromising with the culture to engage and reach people far from Christ, i.e., to lessen my theological convictions. And so, even within my heart, I tend to compromise one path for the sake of the other.
And yet, it is within the tension of these two I believe we find the right and appropriate path for us to walk as disciples of Jesus. To live further up without living further out, or vice versa can cause us to lose the essence of the journey itself, which is the love of God and the love of others. For example, let’s say I pursue a love of God through a deep pursuit of theology. I learn more about who He is, what He has said, His truth, His reality, etc. On top of that, I seek to pursue Him in prayer. So, I spend much of my time thinking deeply about Him, speaking to Him, and pursuing my relationship with Him. But I never learn to love others. I don’t engage with people much. I avoid understanding or engaging with the culture. I am withdrawn from the world. Not “of” it, but also not really “in” it either. Then, have I really loved God? I would argue, no, I haven’t. Why? Because God loves people and God loves the world (John 3:16). Trying to love God without learning to love others means that we aren’t learning to love that which God loves, which affects our love for Him.
Maybe we could think of it like this. I love my wife. I have spent years up to this point getting to know her, speaking to her, and pursuing a relationship with her. Certainly not perfectly, and at times not even adequately, but I do love her. Yet, there has always been something we have differed on. My wife loves the beach, and I hate the beach. For years, I have resisted ever going to the beach. However, it recently dawned on me that if I genuinely love my wife, I should start learning to love the beach. Why? Because she loves it, and to love her is also to learn to love what she loves. To not just go to the beach begrudgingly but to actually learn to find joy there because she does. To pursue it willingly because that is what she loves. I think this is the same reality in our love of God. Learning to love God deeply and go further up is also learning to love what He loves, which is His people and His creation, i.e., to go further out.
But pursuing living further out and learning to love others has to be in conjunction with a deep love for God. Otherwise, we lose a true sense of love for others. If our love for others is done by compromising what God has said, then we don’t love them because we are not leading them toward God but away from Him. Again, an illustration might be helpful here. From time to time, I will give screen time boundaries to my children. For instance, during the school year, our standard policy is no screen time during the week. Now, if one of my sons comes downstairs during the week and finds his other brother playing video games, what would love look like at that moment? Would it look like ignoring what His brother was doing and leaving him to suffer His own punishment? I don’t think so! This response lacks concern for His brother. Would it be to take control of the situation by turning off the console and shaming his brother for his decision? Again, I think most of us would agree that this isn’t love either. Why? Because it forces the other person to conform without actually dealing with their heart. It does not draw them to love for their dad but forces them into it. Would it be joining in to play video games with His brother? Definitely not! This might feel loving for the moment, but it actually abandons both love for Dad and their brother. Love might look like reminding them of the boundary and inviting them to turn off their video games. Here, we see a love for Dad exhibited, a concern for their brother, and an invitation that deals with the heart in a way that invites their brother to step back into loving their father, not disobeying Him. Ultimately, a love for their father informs their love for their brother, and a love for their brother informs a love for their father.
So, yes, there is a tension created in seeking to live further up and further out. But this tension actually helps us pursue the best means of loving God and loving others. It is a healthy tension. Therefore, we should be careful not to compromise too far in either direction but walk in the healthy tension between the two. In the next post, we’ll look at a path that can help us embrace and balance this tension. Until next time…
Leave a Reply