A lake without an outlet dies, think of the Dead Sea, Great Salt Lake or the Salton Sea. All that pours into it remains even as the water evaporates away, leaving only pollution and corruption fit for nothing. Even so a Christian must constantly pour themselves out to others and accept an inflow from God to cleanse the pollution of the world from their hearts.
I just discovered you through Twitter, and read this “Flow” blog… Reminds me a little of an encounter quite a few years ago during a weekend church event. Members from churches all over the state got together for a weekend of communing. On the final Sunday night’s event we sat in a semi-circle sharing our thoughts on the weekend. The couple sitting next to me were overwhelmed with emotion because, in their words, having spent the weekend with other Christians they felt renewed and stronger than before. It seems that they are in a constant state of warfare with nonChristians and here, with this group, they felt safe and could feel free to be themselves. At first I was upset with them for what appeared to me leading a cloistered life, avoiding whenever possible the nonChristians.
In my naivete, I thought them cowardly for not following through on the mandate that Christ gave us: Go out among [them]… and instead, were keeping to themselves and their congregation of fellow believers, where they felt comfortable, where there was – as it were – preaching only to the choir. This couple was taking the chicken way out, avoiding contact and interaction with people who don’t have their values, and live an unChristian life.
Now, in my antiquity, I would like to apologize to this couple – and anyone else who feels desperately alone in a sea of unbelievers. I was not only wrong to accuse them of being cowards, but to assume that they had been actively avoiding those unbelievers, those nonChrist-like persons, and instead, hiding away at home.
The truth is that I am where they were, awash in a sea of Liberals, surrounded by a frenzy of sharks, feeding on Conservatives like hyenas on the African plain. I sure do get tired of fighting them off and I’m sure those folks do, too.
So, a nice time among friends, spending time in a no-bashing zone with other Conservatives, is so comforting and yes, rejuvenating, filling up our tanks so we can fight another day.
Thanks for your post, Jim.
cc: Elvis Chronicles