The Line

Where do we draw the line between 'being in the world' and 'being of the world'? I've come to realize over the past 3 months here in college that this issue of drawing the line is a major issue in my generation. If you were to come down here to visit me, I could point out all sorts of people who take all sorts of different opinions with 'the line', some more liberal with its placement, others more conservative with it and others just "lukewarm" in their stance on the issue.

One thing I notice about much of my generation is for their desire to be real in a world of superficiality. This is good, but can often lead to problems. For example: the other week during my Mid-Term group service project, one of the team members dropped several curse words in casual conversation. We were all in the car when she used them. When she said them, it got silent for a second or two and someone piped up, 'Did you just curse?'. Everyone had heard the words that she seemed to have used with no apparent regard for their meaning. Her response to the obvious quesiton was, 'What? I'm just being real.' No one really wanted to bring up a big theological debate on our way to feed the homeless, so the answer was taken at face value and left at that.

However, upon reflection on it, was she really being "real"? What a terrible excuse for an assumed born-again believer to use. She felt she was better able to connect with the world if she spoke like they did. Now granted, the f-bomb was never dropped but that still does not grant her amnesty in my book. As it says in James 3:9-12:

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."

Clearly Paul is calling us to refrain from using such vocabulary. All I can do is pray for her and keep myself from falling prey to this mindset. As stated earlier, 'being real' is certainly a characteristic of my generation that is positive yet on the same hand can be our downfall. We're so into trying to be real for Christ that we can become compromised and do the Kingdom no good.

Thanks for your prayers and support as I continue to press on. The Lord has certainly kept me these past months and has seen me through time and time again. I look forward to coming home in December to visit and catch up with everyone back home. Blessings.