Monasticism

This entry is cross-posted at the VeNture Nicaragua Missions Blog.

One of the things I think Christians tend to do, as I myself have done to some extent, is to become modern-day monks. We cut ourselves off from non-Christians and “cloister” ourselves among fellow Christians. We have our own lingo, our own substitutes for pop culture, and our own trips and activities. We treat the world as a dirty place that will stain our clean, white, Christian garments if we get too close. Some people call this the “holy huddle.”

An idea that Myers writes about in his book is that many of the world’s ills stem from the marred relationships we have with each other and God due to sin. The human race started out in the ideal condition — complete fellowship with God and complete harmony between humans. However, sin entered the picture and we are now separated from God and there is enmity between us and our fellow humans. The Earth is also in a fallen state - rife with natural disasters, disease, and man-eating creatures. When Christ came to earth, he showed us that his prerogative was to restore his relationship with us and to lead us to restore our relationships with others. He actively seeked out and ministered to sinful and needy people to prove his point. In fact, his mission is our mission: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I had never really considered the relational aspect of Christ’s sacrifice before. This concept has started to revolutionize the way I see the world. God isn’t just restoring our relationship with him, but he’s also restoring our relationships with our friends, family, random people on the street, the poor, and even our enemies!

I always tended to write off the poor as people who don’t try hard enough or who need to grit their teeth and kick out their dictators. I thought to myself, “if anyone comes to me and asks for something, sure, I’ll be happy to help out.” But then even when people approached me for money, I was always hesitant or suspicious that I was being scammed. My heart was hardened.

God is calling me to break out of my cloister and build relationships with people. I think we as Christians have to realize that we are sinners and that talking to and loving other sinners isn’t going to make us “dirtier.” We also have to realize that Jesus didn’t just sit around in Nazareth and wait for the lepers, blind men, disciples, sadducees, and pharisees to come to him. He sought people out. He talked to the outcast woman at the well. He reached down and touched the leper.

It’s all very difficult, but that’s why God is there to help. I know that I will have a hard time relating to people who can only dream of living in Reston, Virginia and could care less whether the Mac OS really is better than Windows. Please pray that God gives us humility and open hearts.