Avoidance Strategies

But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish . . . (Jonah 1:3)

Remember Jonah? He’s the Hebrew prophet who had serious issues with a nation called Nineveh. Jonah, it turns out, was a bigot. It should come as no surprise to us then that God had a special assignment for Jonah . . . in Nineveh. Jonah had another career plan in mind and this made for a great story that I won’t tell here.

Another such story happens many centuries later. Gregory of Nazianzus – also known as Gregory the Great – was born in 330 A.D. in a region we know as central Turkey. He was the son of a Bishop and a child of privilege. He was devout even as a child, and as he grew so did his yearning for the contemplative life. Elijah and John the Baptist were his biblical role models.

Gregory was ordained to the priesthood, but this was done against his will. As one who had to pass written tests and meet committees in order to be ordained, I’m not exactly sure how that happened. His pastor-father needed some help and that was certainly a factor. But Gregory wanted something other than the headaches of dealing with and tending to the church. He responded to his ordination by running away and hiding out for a while, no doubt praying fervently and attempting to convince God that a major celestial error had been made. Sounds familiar.

Jonah said, “I won’t.” Gregory said, “I can’t.” One man lacked compassion in his heart. The other lacked courage in his soul. One man sinned in his outright refusal to obey. The other man sinned in his misguided humility.

These avoidance strategies are not peculiar to prophet and priest. God calls men and women in every walk of life, and every walk of life presents its own distractions and challenges to that calling. But if in fact God calls, then we must answer.

In many ways things are simpler when we keep the 5% of our life that we give to spiritual matters neatly fenced from the 95% that we spend in other endeavors: raising kids, cleaning the basement, reviewing contracts, landscaping a yard.

Living a life of faith that is whole, moving seamlessly between the 5% and the 95%, that’s what we find difficult.

And strangely, sometimes the 5% of life that we designate as religious becomes an avoidance strategy. Having tipped the hat to God by going to church, we avoid our calling in the world and make our way through the week according to a different agenda.

Karl Barth has been quoted a saying that religion is our last great defense against God. Jonah and Gregory prove him right. Jonah and Gregory, for a time, allowed their religion to get in the way of a life of obedient faith. What they did then, we still do now.

When it comes to living your faith in the 95%, are you aware of any avoidance strategies? What kinds of barriers keep the 5% and the 95% cleanly sliced apart in your experience?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want the 5% and the 95% of my life to combine and be wholly yours. Forgive my efforts to avoid the calling to serve you in every area of my life. Help me with my fears and overcome my hardness of heart. I will be yours today in all that I do. Amen.