Our Love Affair With The Transient (and the Brothers Grimm)

"To some, love is a word
That they can fall into
But when they're falling out
Keeping that word is hard to do"
from Love Is Not A Fight performed by Warren Barfield

Keeping that word is hard to do, because it goes against our very human nature. As humans, we have a natural tendency to roam aimlessly, seeking to satisfy ourselves with the temporary and the fleeting. But it's nothing more than that--temporary and fleeting. Sure, we can say we fall in love, and are sincere in saying so. Of course, it's easy to say that when the sky is bright and the seas are calm. But about when the times when you've forgotten what the sun looks like, and the days when it seems that sea's sole intention is to provide you with a watery grave? It's in those times, that we truly see what love is. When that temporary feeling of infatuation left long ago, finding other fools to abide in its presence and lust after it. It's absence causes us to realize that we were not really in love with "the lover." We were in love with the idea of loving them. This simply means that it wasn't truly them that we cared for, it was the thought of being able to love someone that captured our consciousness.

Does this happen a lot with our spiritual walks? When God showers blessings upon us, is it not easy to say that we love God? It's tough to say that our love can be proved amidst blessings, because we can easily shift our love from the Giver to the gifts themselves. Our devotion really cannot be proved until those gifts are gone, whether it be walking away from them all or having them taken. I can honestly say that I have always claimed to love God and constantly trust Him to lead me step by step. But why is it that when I fall, that I suddenly lose sight of Him? Do I follow God by faith, always following His calling of my name, or do I instead follow a trail of gifts he leaves behind? Many times I see myself as a spiritual Hansel. Rather than rest in faith, I instead choose a lesser method of finding my way: Relying on my own independence, and only believing the bread crumbs that I see. Needless to say, this method has proved inadequate again and again, and only leaves me frustrated and embittered.

Many times when I put myself in Job's situation, I can't honestly say that I could experience his situation will maintaining a blameless attitude. Or in David's situation, and still call myself a man after God's own heart. Which in my mind, proves that I've been worshiping the gifts more than the creator rather than worshiping the creator with the gifts. These gifts are in no way evil, neigh they are gifts from our Creator. Though if we begin to use our gifts for our benefit and our benefit alone, they begin to become the centers of lives. This is why we become really frustrated and embittered during these times. We use the gifts for purposes that they were not created for: serving ourselves. When we no longer use our gifts for the Kingdom, we lose sight of where we are and what our purpose is.

This frustration and bitterness does little for my benefit. I begin to blame God for cutting off the trail of presents. So I, in essence, become ignorant to His call. Though this breaks His heart, His marvelous love for us allows us to make our own choices, no matter how stupid some of them may be. So when I've lost my ability to judge where I am, due to the loss of the physical (outpouring of gifts and blessings) and the spiritual (my ignorance towards God) I become lost. Absolutely and unequivocally lost. It is during this disorientation, that I am susceptible to turn to lesser means to seek out a way. The Deceiver knows my faults well, and often has a worldly, attractive offer for me. Much like the candy house in the story of Hansel and Gretel, this offer entices me greatly by allowing me to indulge in my sinful nature. Though this offer looks great on the outside, from the inside, its true nature is revealed. The deceiver has carefully hidden himself inside, waiting to see if I will take the bait. And If I do (which happens much too often) I become subservient to that sin, much like the children became enslaved to the witch. Though I may no longer be a slave to sin after I became a believer and receiver of Christ's sufficiency, I still fall prey to its earthiness. This means that I still am susceptible to it's ability to render my ministry ineffective, figuratively killing my ministry. This is similar to the Witch's desire to kill the children and devour them. The deceiver finds great joy in being able to devour our ministries through sin (Ted Haggard anyone?). Unlike the children, I am not able to escape on my own based on my own ingenuity and resourcefulness. It took Christ's sacrifice to free from my sin prison. So it is our realization that Christ has already conquered sin that is able to free us once again from the prison cell of sin. It is in this moment that we once again realize where we are, and that our Creator never left our side and is ready to lead us on, once again.

Our love affair with the transient and the physical leads to nowhere but the grave. Our ministries have little value when we busy ourselves indulging in what the world offers us. I exhort you (and myself as well) to "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
Hebrews 12:1b-3 (NIV)

Let Christ reign in your life and find your fulfillment in Him and not the transient. For as much as the transient is fleeting, so much more is God eternal. So let's use our transient to serve the eternal.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NIV)

Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Mark 4:16-17 (NIV)

Playing To Win

I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
John 17:14-18 (NASB)

Many times in sports, a coach will pepper his fiery speech with a phrase along the lines of, "You're playing to not lose. You should be playing to win." An interesting perspective to say the least. The coach sees the athletes in a defensive, timid, and self-defeating state and sees how that style of thought hinders the athlete from completing their own goals (usually winning) and playing to the best of their abilities. In essence, they've taken themselves out of the game, by not playing up to their potential. You see, coaches ask us to shift our perspective from the consequences of a potential loss to something much better: the rewards that can be reaped with a win. This changes the athlete's entire perspective and even the confines of the game itself. For now, the athlete looks ahead to what can be gained, instead of what can be lost.

Now what would this look like in the life of a Christian? I'd say playing to not lose, could be easily described as living in a plastic bubble of attempted moral living, all the while shunning those who might contaminate your self-possessed "righteousness" in hopes that it (your attempt at righteousness) will save the day. Many would use a Chiristanese cliche of "in the world, but not of the world" as a crutch upon which to lean when arguing this point. Many would feel that "in the world" means living here on this terrestrial ball, and "not of the world" would mean avoiding all contact with those who didn't believe the same as us, for fear that they may "infect" us, and instead choosing to spend time solely with other Christians. Case in point, those who choose to live apart from society for fear of being drawn society's predisposition to sin, and instead exchanging a life amidst "the lost" for a life spent in piety. Well I've got news for you. We've all been infected, there's no avoiding it; and yes, it's fatal. We cannot avoid sin, because our very nature, is that of a sinner--a being who is prone to sin. So obviously Jesus did not mean that we should avoid contact with non-believers out of fear that we might sin. No, He of all people would know how enslaved to sin we are, for He is the very One who died in order that our sins would be forgiven and set us free from the bonds of sin!

What Christ is talking about is that we are plant ourselves in the midst of mankind. That is being "in the world," for "world" is referring to humanity, not the earth. "Not being of the world" simply means to live differently than the rest of humanity. For when we are given the same set of circumstances and opportunities as everyone else, and yet, choose to live differently, we are living "not of the world." This, my friends, will draw attention to Christ's Name, and bring further glory and honor to Him.

So now that we know that playing "to not lose" isn't going to cut it if we sincerely desire to advance Christ's Kingdom here on this earth. What does playing to win look like? Simple. We go and join God in the Harvest. For Jesus said in John 4:35b (NASB), "Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white [ripe] for harvest." We are to join Him in His work of harvesting souls. For a practical application, reflect on the potential travesty of a farmer who won't harvest his bumper crop for fear that he might dirty his hands, all the while ignoring the mud and manure on his hands from his other farm chores. Every time I turn down an opportunity to minister to someone for fear that I might be made "unclean," is ludicrous. By doing so, I become the farmer in my previous statement. For I, my very self, am unclean. What's going to happen? Am I going to get "more" unclean? No, I am as unclean as they come, and my tattered morality demands reparation. The only problem is that I can't pay such a large debt. It is only by Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection from the grave that my sins are forgiven and my debt payed in full.

Since we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that Christ's victory over death guarantees us an eternal win (spending an eternity with Him in heaven), let's play like it and earnestly seek to win souls for Christ.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NASB)

You were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:8-17 (NASB)

For the Son of Man [Jesus] has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19:10 (NASB)

Are we more afraid of hell than we are in love with heaven?