literally?
So you should know that I am a person that always struggles with extremes. For example, when I was 17, I had a pretty impressive music collection. My mom had never really let us listen to “secular” music growing up, so when I got my own car…I got my music on! Well, one day, my youth pastor asked a question about if people would know that you are Christian by your CDs. What? Anyways, this is what my mom always said and I thought that was a grand sign that I should give up all music that didn’t mention Jesus. So in a rage of passion I was driving down the road one day and threw all of my CDs out the window (I still shudder when I think about it). I felt so FREE…for about 2 hours. Once my emotional high was over, I realized that what I did was dumb. I “messed with Texas”, or for those who don’t speak Texan…I littered, threw hundreds of dollars out the window, and just reacted in an extreme way. God didn’t tell me to throw my CDs out the window, I just chose the craziest option. Maybe if I were smarter I would have prayed and investigated why it was that I felt the need to throw my CDs out the window, but I was 17 and apparently not logical. Two hours later I couldn’t even remember why I had done it in the first place. Annoying.
So anyways, the reason I told that ridiculous story was to say that I have the same problems when it comes to reading scripture. I feel like I am always struggling to balance between taking things literally and then taking them as “up for interpretation.” I was reading James 1:22-25, and I am really having another balance issue. I would hate to be called a legalistic person (gasp), but at the same time why would God tell us to “Not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says,” if it wasn’t important? But why is that so hard to do? Honestly, if I really did a thorough examination of my life, about 89% is about me and maintaining a life that goes at the pace and on the cue of the world. So that leaves about 11% of my whole being to God. Why do I think that I have that option? Or even as you keep reading James 1:23-24, “Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” Am I forgetting who I am? The extreme side to me says to just get rid of all of the things in my life that are causing me to not be able to “do what the Bible says.” But the other extreme says, “well compared to so and so, you are doing pretty good.” Why am I willing to be so extreme as to throw my music out the stinkin’ window; but not extreme when it comes to not merely listening to what the Bible says…but doing it? If this is real, if my relationship with God is important, if loving God is so transformational, then why is it not my priority to get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the Word in me…the Word that can save me? (James 1:21)
I am struggling with this scripture right now because I know that there is a possibility that it won’t stick. The possibility that I will have this moment of passion and then forget again “who I am”. (James 1:23-24) I will tell myself, that we live on earth so I must keep up with all the earth demands of me. I might try to get away with, “I have no choice but to go shopping and watch tv in my spare time instead of seeking the face of God, because I have to have ‘me’ time and it’s important to stay relevant to culture!” or maybe, “My relationships with people are important, but it is not important to mention God because I have to see them everyday and what if it is awkward?” I don’t know yet what it looks like, but maybe we are supposed to be extreme? The vast love of God doesn’t make sense. The way He changes lives doesn’t make sense. Maybe we are not supposed to make sense to the world around us. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what is says.” It excites me to think about what our relationships, families, homes and churches would look like if each of us lived to the extreme. I think that the world would have no choice but to notice.
*please note that I am not suggesting you throw your iPod out the window of your car.