Somewhere in the Middle

Have you ever been somewhere you didn’t want to be? Maybe it was a job, a town, or a marriage. Maybe it was a stage in life, like singlehood, or a state in life, like a disability. It’s very possible that as you read this, you’re wishing you were somewhere else – anywhere else – living a different life, but you know it’s not likely that anything is going to change any time soon.

It’s the same word he gave a group of people when they were stuck in another country, exiled from their homeland. They’d folded their arms and said, “We’re going to wait this thing out, and when we get home, we’ll start living our lives.”

Don’t invest your energy in hopes of leaving; instead invest your energy in the people around you. The Christian martyr Jim Eliot expressed it this way: “Wherever you are, be all there.” Don’t be physically present but mentally somewhere else, thinking of the future or the past, thinking of someplace else. Our journey with Christ requires that we be fully present in the present.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it “this worldliness,” and said, “It is only by living completely in this world that one learns to live by faith.” This focus allows you to see that your life is centered in God and not the place you live or work, not the person you’re married to – or not married to – not how you feel or how you look.

Investing in the people around you is exactly how you find life. So it was God’s plan all along to push them to the edge of their existence, so they would end up centered solely on God.

You may feel like you’re in exile too, but God is still working in your life; and his message to you is: Dig in and fully embrace the life around you.

Center your life in God, not in your circumstances. God is constant; your circumstances are temporary. Ask God, “What do you want me to learn or to do in these present circumstances.”

Change me, God – Instead of asking God to change your circumstances, ask him to change you in the circumstances.

Practice being in the present – Today, whenever you find your mind drifting to another place, bring it back to the present, and ask God to help you stay in the present.

Determine to be a good steward of what you have, instead of focusing on what you don’t have. Make the most of what God has given you.

Whom can I serve?

Whose needs can I meet? Where can I serve? What can I give you? Why are you doing that all by yourself? Who needs something that I can give? When do you need me? Are you OK? Can I get you something?

What’s common about all these questions? They are all seeking a way to serve without waiting to be asked. We were put on earth to make a contribution, but no assignments are given out. Part of serving is looking for and finding the need so you can do something about it before it becomes an issue.

A lot of this is in how we think. It’s all about becoming other-conscious versus self-conscious. Being self-conscious is what happens without any effort. It’s the natural human way of going about our lives. Becoming other-conscious is what happens with some effort and the Spirit of God to empower us.

We were not made to go at it alone. We were made to serve each other so that in community, we all get our needs met. It’s a little like saying, “I’ll scratch your back, and you scratch mine,” but more complicated in that we are all gifted to meet each other’s needs in different areas and different ways that only the Holy Spirit could arrange.

It’s the consciousness that is the key. That and the commitment that once we become aware of a need we can meet, we will immediately do something about it.

It’s always been interesting to me that he didn’t tell us to go out and do good. He said to be eager to do good. That means we are consciously aware of opportunities to serve. If you weren’t thinking along these lines you might miss all kinds of opportunities to serve. But anyone who is eager to do something is looking for it.

If you’re eager to go fishing, you’re going to be looking for the next free day on your calendar. If you are eager to play tennis, you will be on the lookout for a suitable partner to play with. In the same way, if you are eager to do good, you will be keenly aware of opportunities to serve others as they arise. It’s all in our awareness.

You might want to go over the questions again at the beginning of this blog and see if anyone comes to mind as you go through them. Then make a plan to reach out to that person in some way. And finally, think about how you can get into an other-conscious groove. Anticipate needs. Be eager to serve. Ask God to bring these things to mind at all times, that becoming aware of those around you might become a habit you just can’t shake!