Black and White

"Black and white" is not only a fantastic Michael Jackson song, but also the lens through which I, as a follower of Christ, must see the world. In an earlier post, I contradicted this conviction mistakenly and to give you context, I meant that the issues surrounding the Greater Mekong Subregion are not at all black and white. They are as complex and interconnected as a game of Jenga. Each one is affected by the other.

In contrast, there are Biblical, absolute truths that explain and define the universe (thank God). Without these simple facts there would be no point to life and no response to evil. These truths are, indeed, the same ones that Juan Esparza and Gabe Davis repeated to me time and time again as a searching seventeen year old when I became a Christian. They are the means by which the Holy Spirit wooed my rebellious heart.

Some of these truths include: we are sinners. We cannot atone for the evil that exists in our hearts. Jesus can and did on the cross. We need Him in order to be in relationship with God. Without this relationship, we will go to hell. Within this relationship, we can look forward to eternal life in Heaven, without sin, with Jesus.

But there are more: God is both gracious and just. He is both perfectly loving and hateful towards evil. He wants us to have faith and rely on faith alone, and also to work to his glory.

...What in the WORLD does it mean to work to his glory? At first I was convinced it meant that if there is a need for me to walk around land mines to reach persecuted Christians with medical supplies, I must do it without hesitancy. Now, I realize, it is not about what I am doing, but where my heart is in doing it.

I think that to "work to the glory of God" is less about the type of work and more about the heart of the person in action. I can be dodging landmines in Burma to save orphans against the God's will as much as I can be stockpiling my wealth in America without His approval. 

I can also live in a comfortable suburb in Western Washington, be fully able to protect and provide for my children and still have money to take vacation to the glory of God. I can also sleep on a mat, completely inconvenience myself and eat buffalo intestine late at night in order to understand a culture that needs to hear about Jesus. Both may indeed be in God's will, depending on my prayerful examination of my heart and his calling. In both settings, I am called to share the Gospel without hesitation or fear. 

It's hard to understand, isn't it? It is for me...

But at the end of the day, no matter what culture I am an living in, there is still the culture of the Bible that I am called to live out in my life. I am still called to bear my cross, whatever that looks like. And that is between me and God.

I don't know whether God wants me to stay in America or fly off to some rural village in Southeast Asia. I do know one thing, though, and I will always know it: no matter where I am, no matter what I am doing, I am called to have a heart that is joyfully responsive to whatever he wishes. That, I think, is all I need to know.

"The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." 

(Thank you, Dad, for shedding some much needed perspective. Also, for kicks and because I know you all want to hear it now: http://youtu.be/F2AitTPI5U0 ).