Respect the breed
Nonbelievers will not (cannot) act like believers. But believers should not act like nonbelievers.
Some days I run past a man walking his dog. Invariably, the dog pulls hard at the end of its leash and barks nonstop until I'm out of sight. A voice in my head asks "WHY WON'T THAT DOG SHUT UP?" Its owner mildly chastises the dog—I suppose to make me see that he cares.
What I and the owner need to realize is it's the dog's nature to pull and bark. It's a Border Collie after all, not a Saint Bernard. The dog's nature is to herd things.
Same with people who stand outside God's kingdom. They have a nature that's well-described in the Bible. We Believers did too, once.
It makes no sense to expect a Border Collie to behave like a Saint Bernard. But when a Saint Bernard acts like a Border Collie, there's a problem. Disciplined training is prescribed. If speaking of Believers, to be trained by Christ.
Friends with the CEO
How not-of-this-world! We have been invited to know the King’s thoughts and dreams.
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”
When I graduated from college, I went to work for a large multinational company. There, I had opportunities to meet the CEO but we didn't hang out together. I understood and respected his authority but I never had inside knowledge of his thoughts, and hopes, and dreams.
If not in real life, certainly on TV, we've seen people who are friends with the boss but who don't seem to contribute in any helpful way. Either they use the friendship to coast, or they abuse it for their own selfish purposes—sometimes at the boss's expense!
What a rare and wonderful privilege it is to be a friend, under authority. This is what Jesus invites us into. We have the opportunity to know his heart and to learn from him. But always with respect for his absolute authority over heaven and earth; respect the creature should have for his creator.
And as I think about the power of friendship + authority, I also wonder about a culture that increasingly rejects authority and is losing its understanding of friendship.
A moving, simmering pot
Some of us need to slow down. Others of us need to take a step.
“While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. [Later, after Jesus left] They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?””
Biblically, a follower of Christ is on a path to maturity—a journey toward stability, gratitude, and generosity. The journey requires us to take steps of faith. But there's also something mysterious going on. At every point, God is doing something deep inside us.
If you are a Getting Things Done, Inbox Zero kind of a person, you may need to carve out time to discern what's simmering beneath.
If you're a more reflective sort, it may be time to move—to take a step.
Jesus said: "Follow me, and I will make you..." (Matt. 4:19). We move and we are formed.
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