The Pullings
“I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?” (1 Corinthians 3:2-4)
I’m in the midst of a time in my life that could best be labeled “the pullings.” I’m getting pulled in different directions. It’s not a bad thing, nor is it a good thing. It just is. The pullings occur in how I manage my time, where I put my resources, what I would like to pursue and achieve, and even what should I believe.
There’s also pulls in the lesser areas of life, like should I go to Sam’s Club and buy a cartload of junk just because I’m out of toilet paper, should I take a nap now or later, where should we go on vacation, is it okay to buy new underwear if the pairs I have only have a few holes in them? Questions that need answers, but don’t cause me a lot of mental anguish as I feel the pull.
As one who follows Jesus, I recognize that many of the situations that are a part of our world have more than one suggested solution or course of action. In the whirlwind of conflicting opinions, there are words that resemble culture, snippets of selfishness, and hints of godliness. Identifying the differences is like looking at a crockpot of chili and pointing out where each of the spices is hiding.
The issues that top the headlines are the tugging topics that pull us apart. Just as Paul experienced with the Corinthians, there becomes a separation, a polarizing, that offers no middle ground. For example, if I’m a proponent of world peace I’m pulled to condemn the Israeli response of retaliation but, on the other hand, if I advocate a military response to Hamas that continues until they are wiped out, I’m pulled to see there is no room for peace. To be in the middle of those two camps is to feel the yanking from both sides.
Insert any hot topic into that scenario and the result is the same. Discerning the will of God is sometimes a walk through the gray. Listening to that still, small voice in the noise of the clamoring of culture is a practice not often practiced. Whoever is loudest is prone to be the one, or the side that gets our attention.
A few weeks ago, Carol and I were watching our two youngest grandkids (2 and 4 year olds). In the middle of a playtime with them, each of the boys held on to my hands. One of them wanted me to come and join him in what he was doing, and the other was pulling on me to go and join him in what he was doing. Neither was wrong, but neither wanted to give in. Granddad was like a piece of taffy whose arms were getting stretched. Instead of sharing me, they wanted to physically influence me.
If I were to define myself in terms of political and spiritual leanings, I would say I’m a moderate who leans conservative. In saying that, however, I know there will be folk who label me as wishy-washy or apathetic. There will be conservatives who will pull on me even harder, and liberals who will grab the other end of the rope and seek to drag me back into the mud pit between the two sides. The question is how does God see me? Am I following Jesus or am I being swayed by the shouting of the talking heads?
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