Barth on Living a Contradictory Life

"He who knows the world to be bounded by a truth that contradicts it;

he who knows himself to be bounded by a will that contradicts him;

he who, knowing too well that he must be satisfied to live with this contradiction and not

attempt to escape from it, finds it hard to kick against the pricks;

he who finally makes open confession of the contradiction

and determines to base his life upon it;

He it is that believes."

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God and His Kingdom are our great contradictions. No wonder so many times we feel not at home as we reside in this world. No wonder the call to live out the Christian life seems so difficult and monumental. It is because God and his Kingdom stand in such stark contrast to how we think and operate. In living a contradictory life in comparison to this world and our surrounding cultures is where we have the opportunity to find freedom. However, at least for me personally, I get very weary at times trying to live this way. It is much easier to live on the earthly plane than to live as called to a higher one.

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Can we be satisfied with contradiction? Can we be satisfied and actually find rest in God...the one who contradicts our ways of thinking, behaving, and interacting...who contradicts our understanding, our systems, and our solutions? The one who guides us in the way of peace instead of war, love instead of hate, simplicity instead of abundance, quietness instead of flattery? It's amazing how much we find meaning in the first of those comparisons, and such discomfort in the latter. However, it is exactly in those ways that are so contrary to our 'programming' that we find life and begin to understand God.

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Part of me...the good part...certainly wants to base my life living out the contradictions of the Kingdom. But frankly, I'm scared. It takes more than what I've got to offer. The cost is most likely greater than I imagine. I hope I am able to find peace and rest in living out the contradictions of the Kingdom...I hope I'll be strengthened by it. Like Paul says, "Pressed down but not crushed, persecuted not abandoned, etc."

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Here's to living out the contradictions...

Implications of Heavenly Citizenry

"The Christian is a citizen of the kingdom of God and cannot be one of this world."

E. Morris Sider

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I think of this in relation to the suburban phenomenon and how we very much attach ourselves to our suburban citizenry, it rights, and its expectations. If we are to be citizens of heaven and outsiders on the earth, then what does that mean in regards to how we live, especially in regard to the overwhelming suburban lifestyle which tends to describe our priorities and even our desires.

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It challenges those things that we hold on to. We find our suburban citizenry through the attaining of possessions, a sense of autonomy and individualism, and a sense of (over)abundance. While some of these things are good, they are good within limits. We all need possessions of some sort to survive. All of us have a God-ordained sense of individualism in how He created us...with a certain personality, set of gifts, etc. Abundance is a blessing from God (but overindulgance is not)

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What is interesting is that I find a pull in myself. Which ethic will shape me? Will it be the ethic of the Kingdom of which I am a citizen, or will I succomb to my felt needs pressed upon me through advertising and an expected standard of living in which my peers feel entitled to. How do I apply my citizenry to the Kingdom of God in such a way that lives true to that citizenry here on the earth?

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Perhaps one such guide is to ask ourselves what we vest ourselves in...what we consider worth-while. What is it in your life that you give worth to? What do you worth-ship (worship)? Those things we give worth to are those things that guide our lives and help shape where we spend our time, energy, and money. It shapes how we see and understand ourselves. If we're not more shaped by our heavenly citizenship then the default is that we're citizens of earth...of our human needs over our spiritual ones...of the temporal things over the eternal ones.

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What is always confounding is that we think the abundance of life comes from indulging in the stuff of the here and now. I know mentally those of us who follow Christ wouldn't want that to be true, but I think it is by and large...because of how we apply our faith and how we live in the world around us. We don't seem like aliens. Isn't that what Scripture calls us to be, aliens here on earth (that's not rhetorical...it's a real question!). So instead of learning how I'm to live in a socially acceptable way the greater calling is how I'm to live as an alien here.

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What might that look like?

I Miss Stuff When I'm Efficient

Currently reading Al Hsu's book, The Suburban Christian. Ran across a great thought that really challenged my life. He was talking about efficiency being something of a modern day invention. I'm all about being efficient...multi-tasking and the like. However, I'm not sure it's always a healthy thing to do, or even something positive to strive for, because in the striving for efficiency you miss out.

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When you think about being efficient, you think about what has to be done. It's not only the thought process of thinking how one thing has to be done, but then how the next thing must be completed after that. It's a cycle. So you accomplish one task only to lead you to another, and another, and so on. What this instills is a rat in the wheel type mentality...that we're all running to accomplish the next thing.

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I don't know how many times I see this in relationships and conversations. In our culture ending a conversation is a weird experience. I see and experience this especially on Sundays in our church setting. It's like you bounce around like a ping pong ball talking to a whole lot of different people without really talking to them. And then somehow, the conversation just ends and you get interrupted or move onto the next person. The thought, or expectation rather, is to talk to as many people as you can. You feel obligated to do so, and you feel like you've failed if you missed some folks.

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If we look to the example of Jesus, we see someone who was very efficient, but very present at the same time. Jesus was intentional in his conversations with people, but he never seemed to be in a hurry. What I believe we miss when we move on from one thing to the next or let our schedule determine our lives is the opportunity for spontaneous relationships, interaction, and conversation. In Muslim culture, you may have an appointment with someone, but then a friend comes over and the appointment is missed completely. However, for them, the most honorable thing to do is not keep the appointment, but to be with the friend.

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All of our lives are busy, but I do believe there is an opportunity for us to enjoy life even in the midst of busyness. I think part of it is being able to live in each moment with joy, seeing and enjoying where God is revealing Himself to us. So sit a little longer before moving on. Don't rush to the next conversation. Slow down a bit today. Experience life in a more inefficient way and see what happens.