Tension?

We are taking a class at church that is really hard. I guess I mean hard in a good way hard. Like when you get a really good lung burn, hot and sweaty work out in. You don't always look forward to it. It can be really painful and uncomfortable, but when you are finished, you feel much better for having done it and you know you will reap the benefits of it down the road.

In our reading for this week we looked at a quote by a Dr. James Houston who said, " I want to be a Christian. But in spite of that I want to be honest." I laughed when I first read it and the author, Robert Loane, writing so insightfully about this quote, laughed too when he heard it and goes on to say,

"On one level to speak of being honest in the Christian life may seem so obvious that it bears not even needing to be repeated. Yet, at another level it unmasks the struggle of so much Christian experience in this world. Sadly for many, to be faithful to Jesus Christ means putting their head in the sand , denying the depths of problems that exist both in the world at large and in their heart. For others, to be honest means a rejection, or at least a seemingly all pervasive suspicion, of anything that is hopeful. It is in the midst of this tension- faithfulness and truthfulness- that the Christian life is lived out." Robert Loane - Vantage Point 3

I think I have always thought that tension should be avoided or relieved, and we should strive to live "tension free" lives. So if in this tension is where we are called to live out our lives - I have to readjust my mindset a bit. So, this class has been a journey of awareness for me instead of just making it through the day with my head buried nicely in a dark sandy hole. Awareness that some sorts of tension cannot and should not be avoided - honestly. Not easy, definitely hard, but definitely worth it.