Do You Fit?

Do you fit? Is this world comfortable for you?

I read this quote from Christine Caine, co-founder of A21 a while back and have been ruminating on it.

"You often don't, can't & won't fit "HERE" because God is preparing you for "THERE." A misfit here can be a perfect fit there!"

Here being the world, there, the Kingdom of God.

It is something Craig and I evaluate often. Are we being lulled into the comforts of life here forgetting that as children of God, this is not our home? Are we intentionally living as those who view their home in eternity as the place they are preparing for?

This is particularly difficult in the child rearing years for me. I wanted to give my kids exposure to sports, music, and develop their interests. I didn't want them to miss out. We quickly learned there is a distinction between cultivating a child's gifting and talents and giving them everything. We were, in ways, fortunate to have limitations on our financial situation. It kept us from slipping into the dominant child rearing philosophy of the time. It causes us to struggle with what our  priorities are.

We recently had a conversation with one of our kids about this. It is hard during the teenage years. There is pressure to "fit". It is easy to give in. The temptation is to live for self is our human nature and has been embraced by the world.

The problem is, we know there is more than that. We know in the end, living for self is unsatisfactory, empty and meaningless. If that is the way our kids choose to live, I will not put my hard earned money behind it. We work too hard for our money to be investing in the "Kingdom of Reimer". If we are going to invest, the focus needs to be the Kingdom of God.

That's the bottom line.

We need to resist the trappings of this world, it's philosophy's, comforts and priorities. As a child of God, this is not my home.

I am an alien.

I should not fit here. There should always be an uncomfortable tension.

I am desperately human. My natural tendency is to gravitate towards comfort.

"You often don't, can't & won't fit "HERE" because God is preparing you for "THERE." A misfit here can be a perfect fit there!"

Consequently, a perfect fit here can be a misfit there.

In my heart of hearts, I want to fit "THERE", that is my goal. "There" being the Kingdom of God. That is the longing of my heart. My true desire.

I do not want to waste my time here so that I don't fit there. That is such a disturbing thought!! How do I resist it? How do I fight my natural tendencies?

For starters:

The renewing of my mind through scripture.
Spending time in the presence of God in prayer.
Starting each day with intentional focus, it is not about me but about God and his work.

Those are a few disciplines that keep me focused, what works for you?