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A Weekly Devotional Guide
October 10, 2008
Rev. Sue Yarber
Once we have a solid foundation for our place to call home, both spiritually and physically, then and only then, can we begin to think about the walls we will need to build to protect us from the outside world. Walls are what separate us from distractions of the world. Walls create boundaries around us; they hone our focus so that we can attend fully to the person in the room with us. Walls separate us. Some of us cringe when we hear the words "separate us." We remember the sting of being excluded or imagine the hurtful act of excluding another. Being separate, apart from, is a healthy act when being separate is centered in Christ's love. If Christ's love is what draws us apart from the world for a time, not forever, but for a time, so that we can find strength, wisdom and joy in the midst of a wounded world, that is, indeed the purpose of being separate from the world for awhile.
If we stand on a solid foundation of our values of generosity, grace, justice, authenticity and growth. These values lived from the heart, the center of our being, to our outsides, what the world sees, will separate us from the world. Jesus took time in his life to withdraw from the world, to sit on the side of a mountain where he could be quiet and breathe deeply the Spirit of God into his very being again. We, too, must go to the well that will never run dry. We must drink of the water that awaits us. Only when we feel the refreshing wetness will we be prepared to draw a ladle of water for our thirsty brother or sister. To live as a Christian one must take in the Spirit of Christ. There must be quiet during which we can notice the movement of God. Walls create a barrier for the noises of the world: the bills, the job challenges, the broken relationships, the aches and pains of daily living. We can leave all of these distractions outside and enter into God's house for a rest.
The wall has two sides, one that faces in and one that faces out. We, as Christians, are called to turn inward and to know God in the innermost parts of our being. We are also called to turn outward and take an authentic interest in other people and in all living things. Walls make it possible to leave the place we call home and go out into the world to live out our values. We have our retreat, listen to God's still small voice, rest in the arms of Christ and then we go about the business of changing the world. When we are weary and heavy burdened, we can go to Jesus. We can rest, refresh, renew and face again the brokenness of our world. When we pause long enough to recognize the ways in which Christ was challenged, belittled, ostracized, and broken, we can withstand our own challenges. We can be witness to the brokenness of others and not judge or shy away from the glare of their pain.
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