When I was in school, although I almost never admitted it, math was one of my favorite subjects. It wasn’t at all that I just really loved doing math. I’m not sitting down in my free time, crunching some numbers and having a great time. I mean, trying to do my taxes used to make me cry (365 days tear free!). What I liked about math was that math has correct answers, and is, therefore, very satisfying. There’s not a scale of right and wrong in math. It’s either right OR it’s wrong, and that’s how I like it. I’d rather do a hundred algebra problems than write a two page essay on the deeper meaning of a piece of literature. Please.
I don’t think I’m alone in this, though. I generally think that we have a tendency to prefer either/or over both/and when it comes to living life. We like black and white situations, where there are clear choices for us to make or definite solutions to our problems. That’s probably why coin tosses were invented. The reality is, though, we live in one giant gray area, where ‘x’ does not equal anything, and we’re left to wrestle with our own opinions. And, great news, we’ve also all CHOSEN to immerse ourselves in the opinions of others by being on social media, so now we can factor that in, too. If you haven’t looked lately, that’s working realllllllly well for people.
As a Christian, I obviously have a clear set of morals and values, based on Scripture, that are black and white for me. The challenge comes in translating that to real life, with real people, in a world infected with real sin, and suddenly I find myself swimming around in the gray area again. Anyone that’s worked in ministry can tell you that “WWJD?” is more than a reminder to be on your best behavior. What WOULD Jesus actually do? It’s a legitimate question that gets deeply debated, and doesn’t always have a clear, easy answer.
Something I’ve been thinking about a lot, and trying to work through, is how do I reconcile my faith with being a citizen of this country, and living in this world? In our current climate, it feels like you’re expected to subscribe fully to one set of opinions or the other, and there’s little tolerance for people that try to float somewhere in the middle, where it’s uncomfortable. And gray. So as I wrestle with all of that, I’m finding comfort in the fact that Jesus did his whole ministry in the uncomfortable, and I think he’d be living it up in the gray area with me.