EXPATS

I believe two different things about the world.  It is, on one hand, God's good world.  That means I love it as I love all good things God provides and has created.  On the other hand, it's not the way it's supposed to be.  I'm pretty sure about that.  And I'm wary of it.

We tend to forget that both of these ideas are true.  It's easy to hold either idea alone.  You can believe the world is good and the way it's supposed to be and become naive about the trappings of it.  Then you can believe the world is fallen and evil and risk becoming cynical and closed off.

It's far harder to hold both truths in your hands at the same time.  This is God's good, fallen, evil world.

That causes us to hold our attitudes in tension as well.  We love our world.  We know God made it.  We know He loves it.  Christ came to die for it and redeem it.  We know we belong here so we sing, "This is my Father's world ... "  On the other hand, we distrust it.  It's a source of disappointment, even suffering.  It holds major temptation.  We know we don't really belong here so we sing, "This world is not my home ... "

Those conflicting attitudes lead to conflicting behaviors.  We care for the world.  We try to make it a better place.  We work for its good and welfare.  And yet, we don't love it or the things in it.

Sigh.

We are like expats -- Americans who live for years in another country, making their home there, settling down -- all the while realizing it's not their real homeland.

Are we there yet?
No, not yet.
But we're on the way.

And be blessed.