In the World and Not of It

Every so often it can be discouraging when we are actively living separate from society in various ways. When living biblically as a family with a strong husband leading, flack can be caught from those who simply do not understand the formula and somehow think we as wives are missing out. People can intimate that the children are also missing out. Ideas on suppression seem to fill the minds of those who find out we are full-time homemakers, striving to raise children who are content with a life centered around church, serving others and family.

All it takes during these times of discouragement or loneliness is a little interaction with the world.

The world has no real answers for happiness, order, or peace. The world has drugs to get to sleep and pills to awaken, siblings who fight like newly integrated chickens to an established flock, parents who are seriously stressed over how sporting events their children participate in turn out, and strange views on government and society. They exhaust themselves in looking for who to blame, how to get even, and how to make sure they get what they feel entitled to. There is rampant mistrust, a lack of order, and far more stress than there needs to be. Homes where Dad isn't the leader have wives that carry more of a burden on their shoulders than they were designed to carry, and yet, those ladies are the loudest voices of opposition to 'letting him lead'.  People who have raised children that we would not want living under our roof will be among the first to wonder at our decision to homeschool, particularly through high school. Parents who are unhappy with how their family life is, or was, will doubt the amount of 'sheltering' we are doing with our own children. Even if it isn't said outright, we can all feel it when it is implied. There is no lack of confidence from some people in advising, even if their life or child rearing results are lackluster at best or an utter failure at worst.

I think this reality is one reason we are to find wise counselors as Christians. Do not go to the woman whose husband isn't a godly leader for advice on submitting. Do not go to the unbeliever for ANY significant advice if it can be avoided; their entire framework for living should be quite different from ours. The friend who doesn't budget is not the person to go to for spending advice or if we are struggling with wanting something we really can't afford. How we handle money is a huge indicator of where our heart is. The New Testament is wrought with passages about finances. If we are striving to be disciplined in general, do not go to the undisciplined person. Discipline equals maturity, and this has little to do with age much of the time. As we tell our children: govern yourself or be governed.

Being 'in the world and not of it' requires choosing to be influenced by carefully selected individuals, as well as making choices that are in line with God's standards for His children. We can be the close friend of many people, but not just anyone should be our close friend. Why? Because regardless of the godly standards we start out with, when we are close to people who are not submitting to the Holy Spirit and love them, we will become more like them-which is not more like our Father. This reality has caused more than a few Christians to compromise on biblical standards. Many Christians lack wisdom and discernment.

We can not be afraid to disappoint a friend or family member by standing on principles which please the Lord. No lost person is truly won to the Lord by a compromising Christian--it is OK if we can't discuss ungodly TV shows, un-glorifying music, immodest yet popular clothing etc. God will use the person sold out to Him to reach the lost, not the person who looks so much like the world it is hard to tell who is who in a line up.

~Ann