I believe one of the great challenges we face as church is "compartmentalization." We have church friends. We have church books. We even have church clothes.Roll these questions around in your brain: What distinguishes church clothes from our everyday clothes? Do we have some special clothes that bring us favor with God? Does God want us to dress our best on Sundays... and does He then let us dress however we want the rest of the week?
I have a tee-shirt that has the following printed across its front: "These are my church clothes." I consider that tee-shirt to be not only theologically correct... but fashionable.
I grew up in church-world, so I've heard about church clothes for most of my life. When my mom wanted to signal me how to dress for a fancy occasion, she'd say, "Wear your church clothes."
And I knew just what she meant... khaki pants, white shirt, dark blue tie, and black shoes.
And as I think back on those formative experiences, I realize that I was subconsciously learning how to compartmentalize my life. It went something like this:
Church clothes = Sundays.
Regular clothes = Mondays through Saturdays.
God's Vann = Sundays.
Regular Vann = Mondays through Saturdays.
One of the many lessons God is graciously teaching me at this point in my life is to strive for continuity in my relationship with Him. He's tutoring me to strive for consistent beliefs and actions no matter what life situation I'm in.
Another way I look at it is simply: God is calling you and me to live lives of integrity.
So... what are the challenges you face in living a non-compartmentalized life?
