Seeking The Right Middle Ground

Lately my nightly dog walks have given me time to reflect upon the difficulty associated with living in an unsettled world where everything seems to have been turned upside down. It was then that the words of two powerful pundits came streaming back to me. It was Alison Krauss who reflected on the challenges of living godly in a world gone sour when she wrote:

Why do we suffer, crossing off the years, there must be a reason for it all. I’ve trusted in you Jesus to save me from my sins. Heaven is a place I call my home. But I keep on getting caught up in this world I’m living in… and your voice it sometimes fades before I know.

I think she’s hit upon something– The Christian life can get bogged down easily if we allow the inequities of the world to trip us up and suddenly, our walk with Christ gets fuzzy.

But it was that 4th century Bishop of Hippo, Saint Augustine, who, although unaware of Ms Krauss’ dilemmas, knew well enough of his own struggles to make the connection clear enough for me. He writes,

You lift up the person whom you fill. But for the present, because I am not full of you, I am a burden to myself. There is a struggle between the joys over which I should be weeping and regrets at matters over which I ought to be rejoicing and which side has the victory I do not know. There is a struggle between my regrets at my evil past and my memories of good joys and which side has the victory I do not know… Is not human life on earth a trial (Job 7:1)? …

Augustine, The confessions

I do keep getting caught up in the baggage the world has accumulated as a result of the Fall. The lies and the deception, the quest for success; the difficulties associated with modern life; all of it has me searching for some middle ground. But it is here is where Augustine begins to drill down into the trouble associated with the deeper burdens we all share. He writes,

Who desires troubles and difficulties. You command that they should be endured, not loved. No one loves what he endures, even if he loves to be able to endure it. Although he is glad he can endure it, he would prefer that what he endures should not be there. In adversities I desire prosperity, in prosperous times I fear adversities. Between these two, is there a middle ground where human life is not a trial.. Is not human life on earth a trial in which there is no respite?

Saint Augustine, The Confessions

In more ways than ever before, I’m looking for some middle ground. Is there any government servant who isn’t corrupted and driven by personal agenda? Is the vaccine deadly or a miracle cure? Those for whom I once had deep respect have disappointed me, some even have deserted the faith. Are there any who have not bowed the knee? And then there is me and the hypocrisies of my own life? So, what then is the answer?

So it was over coffee that Augustine and I connected. Saint Augustine grew into prominence during the 4th century as the product of a deeply devout mother and a pagan father. After a tumultuous youth that included promiscuity and a search for truth, Augustine came to faith, began his lifelong pursuit of Christ and ultimately provided us with much of the basis for our understanding of salvation, grace and The Church. In the midst of this searching and growing pains, Augustine craves some middle ground. The short answer is that it is hard to find. In fact there is no real easy place this side of heaven– the remnants of the fall and a depraved world are all around us and the joys of heaven yet await the realization of our full citizenship.

But there is a place, a respite from the dark realities of sin and circumstances? There is ground where sins lie doomed and life has regained meaning. It begins and ends with Christ and in between I find a place to live out something more than despair. “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live,” the Apostle Paul said. This is a middle ground with meaning. Just look:

1. Being justified in Christ, we no longer bear the death sentence from an angry God but find ourselves at peace with God and in the arms of a loving Savior (Romans 5:1). God now looks at us as children, family, not outcasts.
2. Being now indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we have a guide, tirelessly at work leading us toward truth and encouraging our fellowship with the Savior. A growing likeness to Christ is now possible.
3. Being now part of his church, we share a common bond with others who desire a shelter from the relentless storms all too common to the Christian life; an island of happy castaways all waiting for God’s final rescue.
4. And, we have a lifeline; thanks be to God, there is prayer; my daily private line of help and comfort giving us a chance to exhale, to refresh ourselves, and breath holy air as we contemplate the one who has promised never to leave us or forsake us.

Truth is, if I focus too much on the world around me, I succumb to the cynicism, selfishness, and hopelessness that overwhelm a culture that has lost its way and the church, whose walls have been breached by the enemy determined to capture our freedom. If ever there was an opportunity for the church of Jesus Christ to become relevant, it is now when so much of the ground we covet is shifting or being compromised by the weight of our earthly foes.

It took some time but Augustine found some middle ground, even it it remained lofty and hard to grasp. His hope never was in Rome, it didn’t bear the moniker of a Republican or Democrat Party and it wasn’t cast in nationalistic terms. It was Christ alone.

I am crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

The Apostle Paul, Galatians 2:20

And so I live, Near to the heart of God.

MJC