Extreme

One of my (many) problems is that I can think about a certain topic on and off for days, sit down to write about it, and have no idea where to start, or how to run a thread through it so that it's somewhat coherent.  I often daydream about an alternate life that I live in which I get paid to publish a weekly Op Ed piece and therefore have seven days to write and rewrite my thoughts in order to sound like a genius, take home a Writers Guild of America award, and then get invited to do guest spots on Stephen Colbert and the Jimmy Fallon show.  What was I going to write about?  I know I'm in trouble when I can't even think of a title for the post.

I didn't dig through the archives (wow, I just had a great idea for a way to keep our posts in a way to make them searchable) but I believe that we've had some discussion in the past about things that make humans tick, the drive that pushes some people to test their physical limits.  The source of my untraceable thought trail has been the ever increasing popularity of events like "tough mudders" and "spartan races".  I, for one, am amazed that people spend money to endure less then pleasant conditions.

We enjoyed a mud run on one of our boys weekends a couple of years ago, but for me the key word there is "enjoyed".  Doing some fun obstacles, mud diving, and getting a little dirty is all in good fun.


But cattle prods?  Getting pummeled with pugil sticks?  Swimming through ice water?  Running through fire?  Blasted with fire hoses?  Sounds like fun if I get to wear a Navy SEAL Trident when I finish, but not for a t-shirt.  Since these type of races are really popular now, where will it stop?  Which race will have the "most extreme" obstacle that results in the death of one of the participants? 

It seems to me that the "extreme" nature of sports came from those that were so dedicated to excelling that they pushed themselves beyond limits to win, to try to beat everyone else in whatever it was.  But now people just want to endure something and then get a t-shirt for it.  People aren't enduring ridiculous levels of training to try to win an event, they are enduring a certain amount of discomfort for a t-shirt.  I just don't get it.

Here's where my train of thought starts derailing, so hold on tight.  Maybe this is a separate blog altogether, but this stuff is all vaguely connected in my noggin.

Extremes are American.  I suppose that if I tried to trace it historically I could write a book about it.  I remember how popular Evil Knievel was when we were kids.  I would say he was extreme.  It's not new since 2000.  It's been around for awhile.  Why?  Where does it come from?  What is in the fabric of our culture that screams "extreme"?

I believe that religious institutions take on some of the cultural characteristics of their host countries.  I've noted how American Christianity has taken on the "all or nothing" and "extreme" nature of our culture.  I'm not sure that I necessarily agree with its application in the realm of faith.  Let me just stop for a moment to say that I accept that I am biased on the topic, but here are my thoughts none-the-less.  

You've both heard me mention before that one of my favorite authors is Donald Miller.  I like him so much because the tenor of his thoughts on God is one of contentment in what God has given to us, contentment is simply BEING, being His child.  I find great comfort in knowing the my faith is not just another part of my life that I need to try harder, to do better, to "take it to the next level".  But you can find plenty of Christian authors who disagree.  Just read "extreme" in between the lines of the titles of these books from the "Christian Living" section of Amazon:

- The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here For?
- Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
- Follow Me: A Call to Die.  A Call to Live.
- Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus
- Heroic Faith: How to Live a Life of Extreme Devotion
- Soul Revolution: How Imperfect People Become All God Intended
- Risk is Right: Better to Lose Your Life Than to Waste It

Do you see it?  Apparently even my faith is supposed to be extreme.  Who wants to be a lame-ass normal person?  Don't you want to be an extreme Christian?  

I understand the benefit of taking risk.  I understand the value to completely trusting God.  But I also understand, in my own belief, that not everyone in the world is going to start a non-profit that feeds 1000 homeless people a week.  I understand that every homeless shelter needs someone to stand in the line once or twice a week and scoop out soup for the homeless.  Every church needs someone to hand out programs to people when they walk in.  I don't doubt their faith or trust in God because they didn't tell their wife and four kids they were quitting their job at the bank to go to seminary and become the pastor of their own church.

Whenever I start ranting, there is an increased likelihood that I'll be misunderstood, so let me pause for a moment.  I'm not saying that God doesn't gift some people with "extreme" faith.  The Bible is full of people who had faith, sometimes beyond understanding.  God can call any of us at any time to step out in faith, and He just might call a man with a wife and four kids to quit his job to go to seminary.  I can't rule that out.

But I believe that in this world what Jesus would want people to have is peace and rest.  

 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  (Matthew 11:28-30) The Message

I know that for me personally I am being told in nearly every facet of my life that I need to be better.  For me personally, and I realize that religion, and specifically Christianity, means different things to different people, but for ME, the comfort I find in my faith is that God loves me exactly as I am right now, at this very moment, and no matter what I might or might not do in the future, he cannot love me any more or any less than he already does.  God is not waiting for me to get "extreme" in my faith.  I believe that what he wants is for me to enjoy the length that he went to to have a relationship with me.  There is nothing I can do.

I admit that it's all very complicated.  I understand accountability, I understand seeking to improve, to be better, etc.  But if I ran a church, the focus of my teaching would be on how much God loves you RIGHT NOW.  No ifs, ands, buts, or "so you should…" additions to the end.  That's it.  That's the message.  You're not a second rate son or daughter of heaven because you haven't signed up for the latest spiritual version of a Spartan race.  You don't have to do anything that is Oprah show worthy to feel good about where you are in God's eyes.  I hate when people walk out of church feeling like they don't stack up, because Jesus did away with that system.  It's called grace.

"I'll show you how to take a real rest."