Do you ever wonder at what point ideals become anchors?
In many ways, our ideals define us. They separate us from the masses and push us in one direction or another throughout our lives. They determine our friends, our families, our careers.
BUT, it seems that at times ideals can become burdensome for people. No job is just right. No church is just right. No potential mate is just right. The kids can't act right. No restaurant prepares the food just right. No school is good enough. Ideals can create "the grass is always greener" mentality if we aren't careful, or even worse, "the grass is never green enough."
I wish at times I could just release my ideals and fit a little better in certain areas. I have found that there are some arenas in which I am able to relax my ideals and achieve great satisfaction with compromise. In other areas a no-compromise-mentality seems to have set in and my ideals have become... Anchors!
This has become particularly true for me in my worship life. I've been in professional ministry for a large portion of my adult life in one way or another. These experiences have shaped my ideals and as of late my ideals have left me quite discontented with what the average American church has become, and I'm frightened by the trends that I see. As a worship leader, I encounter very few worshipers. As a teacher, I encounter very few people that are eager to learn the faith. American Christianity has become so obsessed with doing, that being seems to have fallen by the wayside. "Being" a believer is FAR more important than "doing" Christian things (Mat 7:15-22), and while being will ALWAYS lead to doing, doing CANNOT lead to being (Eph. 2:8-9). So, it makes NO sense to me why today's Christian world puts the lions share of emphasis on "doing" rather than "being". We live in the age of how-to sermons that are only a few words away from being a bad Oprah or Dr. Phil episode. I digress... This is one example of an ideal for me that has anchored me away from contentment in my worship life. Unfortunately, there are others.
What are yours? Did you ever stop to think?
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4 comments:
I feel like I need to let go of my ideals regarding children's ministries. I sometimes forget that as a young child, I sat right next to my parents during church and was not "entertained". And, I still loved to go to church.
I think doing will lead to burn out if we are not also being.
I need my Velvet Elvis back.
Glad you don't have to have surgery again.
I think that's precisely why burnout is SO prevalent in the church, Carole...
Brian has your VE (heresy 101) since I was there last with instructions to get it to you.
I will have to ask him about it. I bet he's mass producing copies of it to sell on the Calvinist black market.
Just kidding.
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