Supernatural Eccentricity
This week on Facebook I asked the question, “Jesus taught that if people die without becoming a follower of his they will spend eternity in hell. Why don't I live like I believe this?”
The top responses were…
- the culture adversely affects our faith
- Christians live comfortable, self-satisfied lives
- We’d get weird if we actually lived like that
- Maybe I don’t really believe that
- That would be taking responsibility for God’s job
All good guesses, but my gut tells me the biggest struggle for me is response number 3: “We’d get weird if we actually lived like that.”
In William James’ 1902 ground-breaking book, The Varieties of Religious Experience, the first exhaustive psychological study of religious belief, he noted, “There can be no doubt that as a matter of fact a religious life, exclusively pursued, does tend to make the person exceptional and eccentric.”
That’s what I’m afraid of – the perception that people might think I’m eccentric.
Yet, I believe that hell is real, that people who die without Christ go there, and it should be my life’s consuming mission to reach as many people before God calls me home.
So today, dear God, if a religious life exclusively pursued makes one strange, then make me as bizarre as possible. May my passion to reach people far from you be so intense that people perceive me to be one who has been blessed with supernaturally endowed strangeness. If eccentricity for reaching the lost be my cross, no matter how small, make it as heavy and luminous as you possibly can.
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Comments (6)
JCS on Jul 17, 2009 8:49am
Not weird, not eccentric, not bizarre...yes, peculiar. Be careful about drawing attention to self. "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to me." -Jesus I still submit; it is about building relationship with people and loving them where they are right now.
john S on Jul 18, 2009 11:40am
If it is all up to me--all is lost. Holy Spirit guide me!
Eric on Jul 22, 2009 5:41am
"Why don't I live like I believe this?” For the same reason we don't live like we believe that abortion is murder.
JLP on Jul 22, 2009 8:35am
Okay, so mabye this is the obvious question. But most of the people I want to say something to and drag to church I work with. How are we suppossed to manage that? I feel like mentioning something about God at work risks getting me fired. I know I should just trust him that everything will work out, but it still makes me timid. Any thoughts?
Brian Jones on Jul 22, 2009 9:53am
JLP, that's a tough one. In those situations I usually love on them and wait for them to bring up the topic of church/God first. usually takes about 5-6 months but that works much better. That way they opended the door, not you.
Doug Kelley on Jul 23, 2009 11:04am
I just try to live a christian life as humanly possiable and ask God and Jesus to help me out when i start to slip, rember the serenity prayer simple but effective.