"If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 (NIV)
“I have my life all sorted out," he tells his accountability group. "I just keep everything in little compartments, kind of like squares on a waffle. None of them interact with each other and I'm a different person in each one. But these days shifting from mode to mode is starting to strip my gears. Is this an integrity problem?"
Life is like a bunch of boxes. We have big boxes and little boxes. There's the career box, the personal box, and the church box. And don't forget the spouse, parent, and friend boxes. We live in neat little compartments and never the twain shall meet.
But changing in and out of boxes at will is rather like having multiple personalities. We're secure in our boxed comfort zones, but in reality we're splitting ourselves apart. If we have a hand in one box and a foot in another, who are we?
We're talking about integrity, wholeness, and consistency. When we live in little boxes we lack a basis for our actions. Since each box has its own rules, it's possible to make decisions in one box that would appall us in another.
Our faith is the only power great enough to hold our lives together. If we truly follow Christ, he will inform and direct all of our decisions. That means being like him in every situation. Then we become a whole person and our boxes vanish.
Is it time to flatten out your waffle? Here are a few steps:
·Get real. Take a look at the boxes in your life.
·Get connected. Start to integrate your boxes with each other.
·Get whole. Tie all your boxes together with God's thread.
Your true identity is in God, not in a bunch of disconnected boxes. So rather than dropping Jesus off at the convenience store on Monday and picking him back up on Sunday, why not let him ride with you all week?
Living for God (TM) offers resources on Christian living. Check them out at www.livingforgod.net or call (719) 578-8837.
