My brother, Ryan, and I were new at school in our small western Kansas town of Ness City when the question came up: KU or KState? I was in 1st grade and had no idea what they were even talking about. Ryan was in 3rd grade and so I deferred to his wisdom on this important issue as these new classmates waited for our answer. I just remember my big bro saying "KU", and there the decision was made. (Only later did I find out that his reason was because most of them liked KState and he hates to go along... and a girl he thought was cute liked KU. I fully support both of those reasons.)
The feeling of making a decision like that continues today as we find a divided country over a multitude of issues. Whether religious, political, or cultural, we can't seem to agree on much and that has led to groups and leaders deciding that they must make a statement about their stance on these issues. I'm not so sure that's the way to go.
Let me give an example.
Long ago in a land far away, a young man came to my office with a question. He and his girlfriend were getting pretty serious and he wanted to know what I thought about them moving in together. We had the opportunity to talk through the moral questions, the statistical information, and common sense as we tried to discern what was right for him and his relationship. It was a great conversation where I had the opportunity to share a Biblical perspective in a positive way. Most importantly, I shared with him that no matter his decision, we loved him, accepted him, and consider him family.
I think back to that conversation when I think about how we minister to a culture with many different values than we followers of Jesus may have. (Especially considering that not even all followers of Jesus agree on them.) As this young couple experienced the influences of friends, family, and culturally accepted practices; they still wanted to know what I thought God would want. Maybe instead of arguing over social media, making grand church policies, or making statements on where we stand on the issues we face; we should focus on being approachable and available to speak into the lives of our neighbors when they ask us to. Maybe we should quit worrying about taking sides and instead be focused on loving those on both sides of each position.
The reality is that the answer to our search in this life is not a set of rules, but the person of Jesus. And that doesn't really always make it easier to know what is right and what isn't. We can't just go back to the rules to be sure. Instead, we go the Spirit and invite Him to help us discern God's will for our lives. Maybe it would be easier if we had it all in black and white. But praise be to God for offering Himself instead.
What do you think? Should we be drawing lines in the sand or seeking another way?
