I find it amazing how much cats can sleep.
My cat gets up in the morning to have breakfast, walks around outside, comes back in…and sleeps. Until the afternoon. Then gets up, eats a snack, walks around…and sleeps. Meanders about before dinner…and then obviously the nocturnal instincts kick in. At least they should. But with domesticated cats, they’d rather stay warm and cosy inside. In summer they obviously go out more than winter. But we have taken what once was a ‘wild’ animal and provided it with a cushy home.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a lover of pets…But it still seems slightly absurd.
We have moved far away from the days when animals weren’t just our pets…but actually our co-workers. As a shepherd, having a dog would help. As a cow herder (“cowboy”), having a horse would help. As a farmer, having an ox would help.
First off, allow me to make it clear that I do not lament the times we are in now. These are simply a few observations.
Time, it is said, is money. Money, others claim, is power. Power, depending on who you ask, is success…and control. But after that entire process, nobody really controls time. Nobody has managed to age slower. Time has evaded our control since the beginning of…well…time.
We use time as a device to punctuate our process on a daily basis. Take work, for example.
The 40-hr working week has become the norm - at least in the Western world. Who came up with the idea to set in stone a fixed working time?
We can look at history and agree that the Industrial Revolution at the beginning of the 19th century brought about major societal and economical changes. People who were fortunate enough to own land and factories, decided that they could, in fact, control the working hours of their workers. They could also determine the value of the time invested by these workers. While all this was happening, more and more ‘entitled’ people decided that they would have to own more…make more profit…have more control. Control land, control manufacturing, control products, control workers.
As we look at the world today, we see little resistance towards the ways established by a few people all those decades ago. Resistance has always been crushed. Workers may strike, but the moment they receive a little attention and slightly more pay, they continue to obey.
We keep our heads down, because we know that when we look up, we cannot shy away from the injustice done to others (including ourselves). Most of us don’t even know what we are actually working for. Comfort? Towards a concrete goal? An amazing fulfilling achievement? Or simply to just to pay the next bills?
Christians are called to be a part of this world, but not in it. This is a big problem. It is a huge issue to face secular problems with an engine driven by a heavenly ('sacred')mindset. I firmly believe it is the greatest struggle for a Christian in the 21st century.
Let us be honest, Christians often fail to distinguish between ‘earthly’ and ‘heavenly’. We join all secular activities and approach things we don’t approve of with a frown. To the outsider it may seem like we are all part of a clown show, and Christians are the serious clown unable to make the audience smile.
What do we actually do about it? Many Christians live exactly like their not-yet Christian friends. The only difference is that they go to church on a Sunday. That’s it.
Going to church does not make you a Christian. Following Christ does.
Following Christ means not following anything else.
Nonetheless, we have to admit that sometimes we are caught up in the hypocrisy of it all. One example came up the other day:
On the one hand we feel moved to help all the refugees streaming into this country, but on the other hand we have forgotten about the people who are already in our country struggling, e.g. orphans, widows/widowers, prostitutes, mentally ill etc.
We worry about an Islamic invasion…terrorist cells cropping up everywhere around us…and then we go do Yoga the next morning. Health is one of the many new idols and we are willing to compromise our spirituality for it.
(For more two intriguing articles on Yoga and the clash with Christianity go here:
We worry about the loud salesman at the door, whilst we forget the thieves that silently wander the night.
In this kaleidoscope of emotions and attitudes, where all colours seem to merge, we have to discern what colour God wants us to use in our walk with Him. Any revolution begins with the motivation and attitude that precedes it.
If we truly want Heaven to come down to Earth, we have to reproach our domesticated (and secular driven) ways. We were called to be “wild” Christians - carrying the indelible stamp of our Creator. In Christ, we are free.
Who do we believe we are called to be, and how do we express it?
How do we reject the ways of the world and simultaneously be a light unto others?
Each individual must wrestle with these questions.
Thank God that He is our shepherd, our cow herder, and our farmer. Thank the Holy Spirit that is the dog, the horse, and the ox. Thank Jesus that He is Lord of all. The inventor of time. The real hope and achievement in our lives.
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