Since moving back to Fillmore at the beginning of this year, I occasionally must take deliberate measures to dispel a cloistered mindset. Fillmore is a great place to be from. It's a great place to visit. It's a great place for free rent. It's not such a great place for expanding one's mind or life experiences.
That being said, a few moment's reflection usually reminds me that though my life can feel fairly staid at times, my reality is far from mundane. First of all, I live in Fillmore. Yes, we've already covered this in paragraph one. My point here in paragraph two is that few white twenty-something women live in a place where burritos, orange trees, and short, dark men far outnumber nail salons, Burger Kings and Target stores. By merit of location alone, I'm weird.
Moving on to work, two and a half months ago I transitioned into a new ministry program in the role of Coordinator. Cause 4 Life is the internship program at Joni and Friends, preparing tomorrow's leaders to minister to individuals and families affected by disability in their churches, communities, and around the world. Check out our webpage here or our Facebook page here. For over four years, my daily thoughts have revolved around nonprofits, justice issues, advocacy, the theology of suffering, and other not-so-fluffy subjects. Sometimes I forget that this is abnormal, but I never forget that there are other people who believe in a cause so much that they indirectly pay me to help people. Highly unusual. Incredible. Pretty much--weird.
You may recall a recent post about my unique experience of wealth. By merit of living in the United States in the new millennium, I am one of the wealthiest people in the history of the world. Mind-blowing. Weird.
Now we get to the weirdest part. Frankly, living out Jesus' commands is exceptionally weird. It's weird to be generous. It's weird to screen your media. It's weird to practice abstinence. Reading the same book every day and quoting it incessantly? Definitely weird. Reducing your possessions? Abnormal. Investing in annoying people? Strange. Being vulnerable? Insane.
I know Christians bandy about words like "radical" and "activist" and "counter-cultural" when we challenge each other to "go deeper" in the faith. Could it be that those words make us feel cool and hip? Confession: I don't generally feel cool or hip. Mostly I feel different and often tired, but I also feel supremely free. And the more I hear about people's stress and heartbreaks, the more I realize that my freedom and confidence is weird too.
That being said, a few moment's reflection usually reminds me that though my life can feel fairly staid at times, my reality is far from mundane. First of all, I live in Fillmore. Yes, we've already covered this in paragraph one. My point here in paragraph two is that few white twenty-something women live in a place where burritos, orange trees, and short, dark men far outnumber nail salons, Burger Kings and Target stores. By merit of location alone, I'm weird.
Moving on to work, two and a half months ago I transitioned into a new ministry program in the role of Coordinator. Cause 4 Life is the internship program at Joni and Friends, preparing tomorrow's leaders to minister to individuals and families affected by disability in their churches, communities, and around the world. Check out our webpage here or our Facebook page here. For over four years, my daily thoughts have revolved around nonprofits, justice issues, advocacy, the theology of suffering, and other not-so-fluffy subjects. Sometimes I forget that this is abnormal, but I never forget that there are other people who believe in a cause so much that they indirectly pay me to help people. Highly unusual. Incredible. Pretty much--weird.
You may recall a recent post about my unique experience of wealth. By merit of living in the United States in the new millennium, I am one of the wealthiest people in the history of the world. Mind-blowing. Weird.
Now we get to the weirdest part. Frankly, living out Jesus' commands is exceptionally weird. It's weird to be generous. It's weird to screen your media. It's weird to practice abstinence. Reading the same book every day and quoting it incessantly? Definitely weird. Reducing your possessions? Abnormal. Investing in annoying people? Strange. Being vulnerable? Insane.
I know Christians bandy about words like "radical" and "activist" and "counter-cultural" when we challenge each other to "go deeper" in the faith. Could it be that those words make us feel cool and hip? Confession: I don't generally feel cool or hip. Mostly I feel different and often tired, but I also feel supremely free. And the more I hear about people's stress and heartbreaks, the more I realize that my freedom and confidence is weird too.
So if the Son sets you free,
you will be free indeed.
John 8:37 ESV
1 comment:
You are weird. And I wouldn't want you to be any other way. Thanks little Katie-enjoyed this. And it's true, I don't often feel hip or cool either-just free-which is so much better. :o) Love, the person who doesn't read your blog...often that is...;o) heh heh
Post a Comment