Grace full mama

I have never really been a “moderation” kind of person. I tend to be a little bit more all or nothing, petal to the metal, obsessive in anything that matters to me. This could really be either very good, or very bad, depending on what direction I am turning my soul. Even with this predisposition to passion, though, I find myself sometimes being a bit shy about my faith. I think this has a lot to do with the culture that we are surrounded by here in North America.

We don’t really like to make waves. Making waves has consequences. We like to be liked, respected, enjoyed. We don’t particularly enjoy being made fun of, ostracised, made into some kind of scapegoat, or even looked at a little bit funny. I really hate knowing I have hurt someone’s feelings, or offended them. It doesn’t matter if I offended them by no fault of my own, and for noble reasons. It doesn’t even matter who they are! My ex husband is high on my list of least liked persons (don’t worry, I have completely forgiven him and pray for the best for him daily), yet if he is upset at me for one stupid reason or another, my stomach clenches. My desire to be thought well of is so strong it is visceral. Why is this? Why is it that we all just consider this normal human nature and we don’t look into the underlying idolatry attached to it?

We have one master. Exactly one. If He is pleased with us, nothing else is supposed to matter. But a lot of us are trying to please a lot more than one master. We are trying to fit in just enough Christianity that it saves us and gives us peace, but that we aren’t putting it in anyone’s faces. We go to church, lift our hands if everyone else is, pray before our meals, and maybe read our bibles. But we are careful to keep our faith in check. Moderation. In his well beloved book, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis outlines this pitfall in his true genius fashion. For context, Screwtape is a senior demon who is corresponding with his junior demon nephew, Wormwood. They are discussing Wormwood’s “patient,” and how to woo him throughout his life towards eternal damnation. Here is what Screwtape tells Wormwood about moderation.

“Talk to him about ‘moderation in all things.’ If you can once get him to the point of thinking that ‘religion is all very well up to a point,’ you can feel quite happy about his soul. A moderated religion is as good for us as no religion at all and more amusing.”

James puts it this way, Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. James 1:8. We can’t be divided. We can’t choose moderation and enjoy the infilling of the Holy Spirit and the richness that comes from walking with Jesus. We can’t have our cake and eat it too. This world was not meant to just be a placid, comfortable, easy place to live. It was meant to be blazing with challenge and color. And we are meant to listen carefully for the words “Well done my good and faithful servant!” That is the only thing that matters! We are supposed to be living our lives a little bit differently. Incredibly thankful for the redemption that we have been given, and not trying to fit into a world that believes it doesn’t need to be redeemed.

If we are pleasing Him, nothing else matters.Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. Matthew 10:34 Life is not about escaping unscathed. We aren’t supposed to offend by being rude, or letting anything unedifying come out of our mouths. But if the truth offends, we should still speak it even if our voice shakes. No more moderate Christianity. God did not offer us a moderate redemption when he sent his son. He went all out. He held nothing back. Let’s run into his arms and hold nothing back! We will encounter HIM when we do that…. and what could be better? We will have riches in heaven. I am nailing moderation and people pleasing to the cross! My allegiance is to Jesus, whatever the cost.