Neglected

I began to think today that my blog is probably feeling rather neglected. I am obsessive when it comes to checking my other sites -- Facebook, e-mail, etc., but my poor blog has fallen by the wayside. I suppose that since my daughter is lying in the other room making "babababababa" sounds, I have a few moments to think. Usually she is making "WAAAAAAAAAA" kinds of sounds, but today is a special day.

I've been thinking a lot about my responsibility as a Christian in a world that rarely acknowledges or thinks about Christ. I often tell my students that we don't have to agree with the things around us because Christ rarely did, but we do have to somehow deal with the things that life throws at us.

We had Christian Worldview week this week at North Greenville. The speakers were wonderful. Ergun Caner and Dinesh D'Souza spoke about standing up in the marketplace and speaking boldly. I struggle because I work at a Christian institution. I come home to a Christian family. I worship with Christian brothers and sisters, and I hang out with Christian friends. How do I, someone firmly ensconced in the Christian world find my way into the secular world.

I'm more comfortable in the Christian world. It's just safer. They're not as angry or as volatile most of the time. They accept me and we can have conversations about godly things without people getting angry. Not to mention that I'm busy. I've got so many things to do.

As I type this, I realize that these aren't valid excuses. I'm sure that Christ could have come up with a similar litany before he descended from heaven to save my filthy soul. He could have said, "I like heaven. The angels worship me all day. The weather is perfect. I don't have to walk on dirty streets with lepers and liars. I am never hit or battered. Everyone up here knows that I'm God. They don't question me or try to outsmart me. They love and adore me. I'm not leaving this."

My arguments seem strangely weak when compared to these.

I pray that God sends me to the fields. May he not allow me to be too comfortable to reach out and be on mission for him in my own backyard. May I seek him earnestly and know that his mission must always be my mission.