The battle against compartmentalization has been a significant part of my spiritual journey the last two years. Out here in the West, our primary disposition is one of individualism and dichotomized living. What I mean by that is we think about “me” first (ironic because of my web address), and then about slotting things into their place, comfortable separated from one another. That’s why sometimes it’s a little disconcerting to have all our spheres of friends intersect at one event. Because we adapt to different contexts (and rapidly), when those worlds collide it brings about a bewildered sense of out-of-place-ness. Or, another way to look at it is to think of all the different “hats” we wear – our work hat, our family hat, our church hat, our online hat, our offline hat, our sports hat, our whatever-you-name it, we’ve got it.

Trouble is, we do that with God too.

I call it “box theology.” We try to put God into a convenient box, systematize Him where we can, keep Him out of spheres where it’s not conducive to the choices we want to make, and forget Him entirely a large percentage of the time. But God doesn’t work that way, does He? If we believe that He’s truly omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, then we can’t live a “box theology” life. We can’t have convenient compartments where we choose to let God in to certain parts of our lives, but not all of them. No, it’s not compatible with the way of Jesus. Instead, our lives are to be submitted – every single part – to the lordship of Christ, understanding that God is omni-everything – present in every circumstance from daily chores to intense decisions. All of life is supposed to converge in God, and our continuing story is to walk in such a way that seeks convergence, bringing about true life and pursuing real, authentic spirituality that is honest to God and who He’s made us to be: men and women created in God’s image to love Him, love one another, and help others do the same. Life that is incongruent with that ends up feeling a little empty, dare I say boxy – because God has been boxed out.

When it comes to a compartmentalized life, the prevailing question is “What can I control?” When it comes to the cross-shaped life, the question turns into a statement of truth: “God is in control.” In 1 Cor 1:22-24, Paul demonstrates how the power of God superseded the things that would impress both Jews and Greeks – power and wisdom. That was their version of putting God in a box – a fancy miracle worker or a wise guru. Thing is: Even though the Gospel looks like complete foolishness in comparison by worldly standards, but it trumps both.

God could never fit in a box. Hence, a follower of Jesus shouldn’t live a boxy life. I want my life to be completely consistent with who God made me to be, no compartments, no masks, just me, created in God’s image. I think my life would look much simpler and feel much richer. What would an anti-compartmentalized life look like for you?

Related posts:

1. Notions of Wisdom: Consumerism versus the Cross
2. Sustainable Spirituality and the Net
3. Spiritual Sustainability and the Net (part two)

One of the interesting things about the first-century city of Corinth is that it was known for being a place where status mattered based on who people knew, not unlike the world we live in today. In fact, people were known for “buying” friends so that they could appear more important to the rest of society. Today, our world tells us that happiness can be bought, for the right price. I was particularly struck by this when a friend pointed us to The Story of Stuff, which is a clever video that demonstrates how consumerism has infested how we think about almost everything. Think about it:

• Black Friday is one of the most anticipated days of the fall.
• When a new _____ (fill in the blank) comes out, we’re convinced that our old _____ is obsolete.
• In Christian circles we have a term called “church-shopping.”

All of this drives us to believe that if we can just get the next thing that fits our perceived needs, we’ll be satisfied. I’m not immune to this. People in college used to connect me to the expressions, “I can’t stop eating,” and “Buy more, save more.” Now I would say things partially in jest, but I think part of it pointed to an inner reality that accumulation of things – objects, food, friends, or status symbols (think college degrees or that cool job) – would lead to an inner joy. But it never does.

The cross tells us a different story. Where consumerism asks the question what can I buy?, the cross gives the answer: you’ve been bought. A big part of what I’ve been learning is that spiritual vitality is deeply intertwined with sustainable living. That means physical, emotional, and spiritual sustainability. Now, consumerism constantly feeds our addiction to accumulate more for ourselves in order to fulfill our longing for satisfaction, propelling us into an unsustainable cycle – physically, emotionally, and spiritually – that will only leave us high and dry in the end. The gospel, on the other hand, points us to the sustainable source of unending joy – Jesus Christ himself. If our complete hope and identity is built on the cross, then what emerges out of that is sustainable living, and hence, spiritual vitality. It can’t be built in the other direction: seeking certain types of output and hoping that it fills our core need won’t work.

That’s what we want to be a part of building here in the city: sustainable life patterns that find their root in the gospel and sprout healthy, joy-filled, vibrant living. Everything that we do, all our decisions, all our spending patterns, are fed through the matrix of the gospel. I’m in. What do you say?

*Here’s a preview of that video, by the way. I’d highly recommend watching it.

Related posts:

1. Object Lessons from a Bookstore