When I first became a Christian, I was very strict and took seriously the “live in the world but don’t be of it” out of the Bible. For more than ten years, I hardly listened to any non-Christian music, and I wouldn’t watch any movies rated higher than PG. My circle of friends were all Christians, and everything I did centered around church activities.
I don’t regret being devout and sincere. In fact, I believe it was what I needed at that stage of my Christian walk to get deeply rooted in my faith. Looking back, though, I realize I was very unapproachable to non-Christians and would go as far to say I was judgmental. Meaning, if you weren’t walking that fine line like me, I looked down at you. Ouch!
Fast forward to marrying a commercial fisherman twenty-four years ago, and well, he’s had an influence on me. I have seen violent R-rated war movies and the like, and I now listen to a variety of music genres. My friends include all walks of life, and I’m not the hard-nosed, wound-tight person I used to be. I believe I have also been a positive influence on him…at least I hope so.
Anyway, the point of my blog today is how do we walk that fine line? We do live in this world, but we aren’t of it. Heaven is our real home; yet Jesus came to earth and walked amongst sinners. He went to wedding feasts, drank wine and hung around prostitutes. You see, Jesus didn’t come to heal the healthy; He came to heal the sick. Where we do find the sick? Certainly not in our safe, Christian circles.
Oh, that doesn’t mean we are all perfect. Quite the opposite, I think. We are all walking wounded, but that is what appeals to the lost. We are just like them except we found everlasting hope in Jesus! If we cocoon ourselves in our ivory towers, we will not reach the hurting. And if we pretend to be perfect and hide our imperfections, you won’t be able to relate with us. They will be left on the outside looking in. Our time here on earth has to mean something, and we must do a better job of connecting with those who are not like us.
But…we do need to monitor what we allow in, don’t we? As we thinkith, so shall we be. Some people are more sensitive to violence than others. I get it as I used to be one of them. However, if I hadn’t watched the movie Father Stu, I wouldn’t have been blessed by the message of how God uses the broken to do amazing things…even when their body fails them. If I hadn’t endured the painful war scenes of Hacksaw Ridge, I wouldn’t have been inspired to keep writing and sharing God’s message with others: “Please God, let me help one more.”
I’ve seen tons of movies, and I have to turn away some times, but I seek God’s message in all of them. To me, that is the key of living here on earth: looking for God in all things. If we avoid all things of this world, we are sitting alone in a room with a bed and chair in the dark. How does that help His cause? We also need to combat the darkness with His light and truth, keeping our cups full so that we may pour ourselves out to others.
Just like some people are called to attend seminary and become preachers while others are called to help the homeless on the streets, we each have to walk our own path. Only you can decide where the line is for you, and only you and Jesus can walk it together.
I’m certainly not telling anyone what to do or encouraging you to get drunk and do drugs. All I can offer is my own experience, and I feel I am more aware of the hurting today because I experience some of their world. And when I intentionally seek God in all things, I will find Him…even in the midst of an R-rated movie. That being said, waiting for a movie to release on television removes some of the harshness for viewers.
What I do encourage is for you to find a place where you meet outsiders – those who are lost. Let us not barricade ourselves safely tucked away from the horrors of the world but rather roll up our sleeves in our own way to help bring the light to the darkness. Fight the good fight my friends!
Looking for some spiritual inspiration? My booklet, Time for Shift, shares insights into how to move through to the next level of your faith walk.
Mary says
Well spoken, Lorraine! I agree with you, and I am blessed to belong to a church that believes the same!
Ginger Stahl says
Very insightful; I agree.