Monday, August 26, 2019
667 - Life in Over-Strive
Spirituality
Column #667
August
27, 2019
Common
Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
Life in Over-Strive
By Bob
Walters
“… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
Take an honest,
as-objective-as-you-can look at the daily headlines in any newspaper or online
newsfeed, and discern this: Which are
written to scare you?
Or designed to create stress? Or calculated to make you mad? Or just generally intended to get a rise of
your hackles leading you to be either fearful for your safety, anxious about
society, angry at a perceived injustice … or merely annoyed at an obviously
misleading editorial narrative or fatalistic worldview?
We live in a world-wide media market
– and political environment – evermore designed to make us panic, feel
wrong-footed, doubt truth, and distrust our own intentions. And yes …journalism has sort of always been
that way: “If it bleeds it leads.”
Chicken Little did not become famous for saying “The sky is staying up!”
and there is nothing quite like existential fear to gain someone’s attention
and possibly obedience.
On this example of purpose-pitch
media coverage, I’d venture almost anyone of any political, social, or academic
position would find agreement. And no,
we’re not talking about agreement with the news slant, but agreement that fear
and anxiety sell.
I’ll leave journalism right there
because I don’t want to talk about the distressing news of the day. I want to talk about the good news of Jesus
Christ, the Bible, church, fellowship, preaching, and living life in a sinful
world while nestled in the arms of Jesus, the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and
the truth and love of God.
And
the idea I want to pose is this: Where in the “Fruits of the Spirit” does it
say to be in a panic about our salvation?
It is certainly understandable to be in a bit of a panic about the
direction of the world, nation, community, politics or secular opinion, but
striving to make a perfect world is far different than striving to be at one
with, and to be at peace with, our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Why?
Because, my trust in Jesus is a trust I know He will not violate.
We
imagine our eternal salvation is on the line every time we make a worldly
mistake. We strive and strive to “be a
better person” while somehow forgetting that Jesus already died, rose, and fixed
that problem. We strive to obey – good!
– but I don’t find anywhere the Bible says our salvation is because of our
obedience; salvation is because of our love and belief in Jesus. Trust that,
and “be anxious about nothing.”
G.K.
Chesterton points out in “Orthodoxy” that Christians, admirably, tend to live in
a kind of holy overdrive, embracing life and creativity and freedom with great
fervor of purpose and love. Obedience
does not win salvation; obedience wins for us peace and perspective in this
life. Our relationship with Christ comes
to us due not to our neurotic striving but through divine trust; not because
“I’m a mess,” but because Jesus is perfect.
I’m
not sure what kind of human relationship would really work if I started every
day expressing my doubts about if I’m good enough or if you really love me or
if you can show me how I’m supposed to love you and make you trust me. That’s what striving looks like; and, for
example, I’d never treat my marriage that way.
That’s not joy.
The
best of earthly relationships reflect the divine trust, love, peace, comfort,
and joy we find in Christ – all those fruits of a healthy spirit that are
gifts, not pay-back.
Strive
to find Jesus? Sure! But then, rest easy in His Spirit. Life is hard enough.
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