how is it that we as humans even have the capacity to deal with everything thrown at us? as i get older i realize that everything i read, everything i hear, everything i see is presented in terms of choosing a side.
it can be as big as a war or as small as an instagram poll debating which color looks best. either way, in perspective it is a bit insane to expect yourself or others to pick a side no matter what - at all costs.
don’t think about switching up, changing your mind, or recanting your speech or actions. you might as well recluse yourself from society because that is usually how it is taken.
what if there was a middle? a place where you don’t have to decide, stand up or sit down, defend or attack. a place where you could just be.
this is something that i have been pondering and quite frankly struggling with. yes a place where you could just be would be freeing and i explain my reasoning below. but also standing up for what you believe in is powerful. a person has to have values right? a person has to believe in something right? a person has to stand up for issues they feel are heavy on their heart right?
i am not sure i have the answer. does a person have to have these things…
as a Christian my sole purpose, my only job, my entire existence is defined by one thing.
when jesus died on the cross about 2,000 years ago it marked a time - not only in human history - but also a time for Christ followers.
when he died, he did it to save all mankind from sin - allowing us all a clear path to heaven. through him and him alone.
from that day to this exact moment we are breathing air on earth to bear witness that jesus died on the cross.
what does that mean?
think about it. almost 2,000 years ago there was no internet, social media, phones, computers…you get the idea - times were different, could even argue they were better. i'll save those thoughts for another post.
the way people found out about things from nation to nation was by witness, testimony, and word of mouth.
for others to hear the news of this redemption the Christ follower had to go out and share the news.
now that technology has caught up to us, it is easy to ignore the idea that we must witness to those that don’t know or ignore the fact that jesus died for all of us.
why is it easy to ignore?
because it’s almost effortless to fall into the constant bombardment of news + media. we all think that everyone kind of knows everything. everyone has access to search whatever they want. why would it be mine or your responsibility to witness to people when odds are they probably have heard the news. a friend commented - and i agree - that this is a false and quite lazy assumption to make.
as i write this, i'm a 23 year old with that exact amount of years of experience on earth. i don’t know everything nor will ever know everything.
to me it is still our responsibility to witness because regardless of the instant information available to most people in our culture today, the news of jesus spoken from a Christ-follower into a non-believer is backed by the power of God.
that interaction is priceless. when that interaction takes place i personally believe that God is in control. he is backing you. he is using you as a vessel to share his promise to others.
now, if you are reading this and you are a not a follower of Christ - please don’t click off of this page, ignore what i am saying, or think that i'm persecuting or coming after you.
the point of this entire blog is that it allows myself a place to come share my thoughts. i am not demanding you agree with my thoughts. i share them so that i can hear what you think. yes i speak with conviction but no i don’t judge nor ignore those who don’t share my thoughts.
okay back to the messy middle. what does all of that have to do with being in the middle?
the middle is a place where you can truly live your purpose. when standing on a polarized left or right, up or down, in or out how do you expect yourself to live your purpose? there is way too much noise to try and decipher or decode.
it makes me wonder if we can have it both ways. can we as humans stand on the left or right, or stand up for something we feel such power conviction about?
can we do this and also live our purpose that God gives us? after writing this, i'm not so sure.
it makes me think of the quote... "you can't have your cake and eat it too."
maybe we can't have it both ways. maybe God calls us for a purpose and the world pulls us another direction.
i agree. harder said than done. we do live in a place where evil can be chosen. but good can be chosen too. nobody said it was going to be easy.
my advice: chill out in the middle. ignore the shouting from both sides and see where life takes you. see if reading something like this makes you think about God and what he is trying to do in your life. try it - it may just change your life.
