Our Center of Life

We all live in two worlds as Christians, the world of our cultural environment and the world of our faith commitment; the first one by necessity and the second by choice. For some, the culture is the dominate world so that all of our priorities must be in place first, Then the commitment we have to God will have to find its niche in the cracks and crevices of our time, energy, and finances that are permitted by the priority cultural commitment. If our commitment of faith takes priority over our environment we could live anywhere, in any culture, with any people, and on a survival bases of economy so that the opportunities for service to God can best be accomplished. Only our survival needs to be assured in the commitment mentality in the short run for us to function.

The above contrasts of focus somewhat typified the tension we have experienced in our life between living in Belize and in the US cultures. Much rationalizing can be done to argue for either orientation of life. The stronger the main focus is on one, the more tendency there is for the other to be minimized. As Jesus said, “No one cannot serve two masters [equally]”: one will tend to dominate. We can’t follow these alternatives without a bias. There just is no easy way to balance these out, like holding a carpenter's level in front of you. As priorities, they tip one way or the other. Perhaps one could put them on a continuum, but there would never be middle point. One will always weigh more than the other in our lives. Compromise is a dirty word here for both orientations. Perhaps only a full devotion to God's Kingdom can create a perspective to live only for God in our environment without being shaped by it. “Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold”. Romans 12:2 Phillips Translation.