August 30, 2004
My business partner was telling me about a movie he saw that showed how they farm chickens these days.
The chickens grow up in the cages. Their beaks are burned off. They never walk, never move. And then they're killed. Sent to us, and we eat them. That's their life.
For some reason, as he was telling me this story, my mind instantly pictured a newly married couple, sitting in their new house, picking out wallpaper color.
The guy has a nice job, working as an regional manager for a medical supply company. He spends his days riding around in a car from client to client. His nights are spent watching TV. His weekends, doing odd jobs around the house, maybe enjoying a poker night with his buddies.
His wife works for a cosmetic company in the marketing department. She works long hours, hits the gym after work to run on a treadmill. She comes home and cooks dinner. On the weekends, she treats herself with a trip to Nordstrom to buy a new handbag.
Soon enough, they have a kid. Their weekends are now spent at Costco buying things in bulk to save money. They compare and contrast the various pros and cons of different brands of diapers.
And so it goes. We know the story - most of us live it in some form or another. And there's nothing inherently wrong with it. It was how I was raised. It's how we live today.
But is it how we're supposed to live? I don't know.
What were Adam and Eve supposed to do? I mean, before the fall, what was their purpose? They must have had one. What would life have been like if there was no fall?
Forget that. It happened. Fast forward. What kind of life does Christ offer us? By believing in him, we get absolved of our sin, and get to look forward to eternal life spent with God.
But what do we do here in the meantime? Is our life to be spent simply waiting to die? Is it supposed to be, on the whole, no different than anyone else's?
[Some of the people who read this aren't Christians, and might not get what I'm talking about. Apologies.]
What is our purpose here on Earth? Is it to take a job driving around town selling medical supplies? Is it to spend our weekends mowing our lawn or looking through an IKEA catalog? Does it not make any difference, as long as we're nice honest people who treat each other with respect and kindness?
Or is there more?
Christ's ministry lasted three years before he was killed. Once he started on his path, he had 36 months of life. And my, what a life it was.
Paul and Peter and John and the others lived longer. They evaded jail, were beaten, attacked, plotted against. In the end, all but John were killed because of the path they were on - and John had to live out his final days in jail for the same reason.
I once heard someone say, "If Christians today were Christians the way Paul and Peter were, the world would be a very different place."
If we were Christians like Peter or Paul, what would our lives be like? I don't think we would have to be in ministry - indeed, I think the realms of business, law, politics and others could use strong Christian men and women as well. But what would a Paul-like businessman look like? How would his days be spent? His weekends? How would his business operate? What would the profits of that business be spent on?
Would we be likely to find him shopping at Costco on the weekend? Would he be watching Law and Order on a Thursday night?
Our we living our lives with true, purpose? If we are made in the image of God, if we are "more than conquerors," if we were "fearfully and wonderfully made" - is the life of the typical American Christian living up to that glory?
I don't have an answer. I honestly have no idea. But there's been something tugging in the back of my mind since I moved, and it has brought me repeatedly back to that question.
I have a fear that we run the very dangerous risk of playing Christianity-lite. We're Christians, but Christians in the same way the chickens in the cages are chickens. Our beaks have been burned off, our feathers aren't shiny, we never move.
We are glorious creatures, made in the image of God. By accepting him and growing in our relationship with him, we're able to overcome the stain of sin.
But to what end? To spend our days in cubicles, our nights in front of the TV and our weekends putting up new wallpaper?
What if we were Christians the way Peter and Paul were Christians? What would we do differently? What would I do differently?
