Gritty Living

I am from the Anabaptist tradition. Both sides of my family were (are) firmly set in that tradition both by heritage as well as practice. One component of that tradition is that of being “a people of peace”. The practical effect of that is that those who subscribe to the Anabaptist philosophy do not serve as police officers, military, or other vocations of that kind and type. They also affirmatively champion the cause of peace (not just absence of war, but real, lasting peace) and work toward that end.

One thing I never heard much about when I was growing up was the effect that WWII had on those who were Anabaptist. My uncle, in his blog, gave some insight into that time recently. He did a series of blogs on the topic and admirably provided a good apologetic for his belief. His blog can be found at http://kings-continuingthejourney.blogspot.com/

The church we attend has no position on serving in the military or in law enforcement. That is left up to the individual to make that choice. It has been an effort, at times, for me to meld my Anabaptist upbringing with (for example) the sight of a uniformed police officer on duty on Sunday mornings (member of the church) stopping by for services. That happened regularly in Oakley, KS where we lived for several years, as Chuck and his family would meet for worship with the congregation. Sometimes he would have to leave during services to go to a call. Other times, he could be there the whole time.

I must admit I'm in the great gray middle on this issue. I like to hear both sides of any issue, and certainly appreciate and honor my uncle’s series of blogs as well as him for writing them.

The older I get, the more I have concluded that life isn't always the black and white that we sometimes have thought. The ideal is not always the reality, nor can it be in a fallen world. That doesn’t mean, however, that we should discard the ideal in favor of wallowing around in the reality without hope of something better. It does mean that sometimes we find ourselves in a position we’d rather not be in, but have no practical way to escape.

Jesus Christ and His example to us is the ideal. Just because we will never meet that ideal doesn’t mean we don’t continue to scratch and claw (that phrase doesn’t sound very peace-like, does it), giving all we have, pursuing it with every fiber of who we are.

On the contrary, as Christians we are called to do just that, while at the same time living, working, coping, and dealing with the imperfect and the effects of it. Loving one’s neighbor and doing unto others sometimes means being gritty and grimy. It sometimes means getting out of our comfort zone. It sometimes means sacrificial giving. It sometimes means disrespect and contempt. And it sometimes means giving the ultimate gift…life itself.