Balance

You've heard it said, narrow the gate...

Easter is over but I will continue to revel in the beauty that is GRACE and MERCY. At least until I look around at the world. I will admit, I struggle not to feel overwhelmed and frustrated at the chaos I see around me from time to time.

We have one group that clamors for attention, doing things that couldn’t have been imagined 100 years ago, while saying, “Christians are supposed to accept us as we are!” The other extreme, are the uber pious who believe there is a rigid set of laws we must follow and anyone not following them should be cast…. Well, you know.

Being somewhat of an empath, I can see both sides. Our savior did say to love all people, He will sort them out. And, He also gave us rules to live by.

However, I believe that the gate is narrow because we are to love those that don’t live by the rules but we need to also LOVINGLY call them to Jesus. That’s hard! When He met with people the religious thought were beneath them, He didn’t leave them as he found them. He LOVED them as He found them but expected their life to change because of His love. That’s very hard folks! Most of us don’t have the fortitude to stand up lovingly for the truth. And in our defense, we are not divine.

And as for the pious, well, He gave us rules that will make our lives better when we follow them, but He said the most important ones were to love God with all our hearts and to love others as ourselves. He sometimes broke rules to further the two most important ones.

Let’s face it, it is much easier to keep things, and rules, and people in a box. Orderly and expected. But God made the beautiful tapestry that is humankind. He gave each of us a purpose, and rarely are they the same as someone else’s purpose. Singing or engineering; writing or mathematics…I’m thrilled we aren’t all the same.

I’ve found that it is the fearful people that want others to fit their narrative. The people that shout the loudest about someone not excepting them are trying to push their narrative. But should we care if we fit anyone’s narrative but God’s?

He said 365 times not to be afraid. So here is the reason I feel the gate is narrow. You have to be willing not to be afraid to love those different, while also not being afraid to risk their rejection when you say, “Jesus loves you and He wants better for you.” You also have to be willing to let go of the fear of losing control if things aren’t ordered the way you want them. God’s ways are higher than ours. God is not the God of chaos, true. But his order may not coincide with our order.

I’ve watched humans, and we tend to go too far in either direction. C.S. Lewis said it, “He (the devil) always sends errors into the world in pairs--pairs of opposites...He relies on your extra dislike of one to draw you gradually into the opposite one. But do not let us be fooled. We have to keep our eyes on the goal and go straight through between both errors. We have no other concern than that with either of them.”

I’ve even noticed that rule follower type people can overcorrect and become just as hardline as those who don’t follow God’s laws. Unfortunately, then they are even harder about man’s rules when they do this because they’ve lost the balance. At least that’s my observation.

So how do we keep the equilibrium? How do we stay balanced in that narrow gate?

I’ve noticed something as I practice physically balancing, I have to keep my eyes on something in front of me that is fixed. If my focus is not in front of me or on a moving target, I cannot hold the tree pose. Perhaps it’s the same with this kind of balance. We must keep our eyes on Christ, He is permanent and unmoving, yet He shows us how to love and be firm in our convictions.

It is easier to follow the crowds with the high emotions on either end of that dilemma. But do I want to be a person who always follows the path of least resistance? Or am I brave enough to keep my eyes on Christ when distractions abound?

I’ve begun to wonder if those that go to extremes are the same types of persons? They want order and for people to follow THEIR rules. Perhaps it makes them feel comfortable when people fit in the boxes they have made. Now that is a thought I’m sure neither would like.

I personally think I’d like to say balanced and without a box but in His image. It’s not easier, but much more freeing.