On Keeping Your Focus

In his book Rumors of Another World, Philip Yancey struggles with the difficulties of living as a Christian in two worlds, the world of the flesh and the world of the spirit. He suggests that we face the constant tension of enjoying the good and pleasant things of this life on the one hand while fighting the temptation to allow them to blind us to more important things on the other.

Yancey suggests that we see ourselves as amphibians living in two environments, one physical and the other spiritual, at the same time. One of these comes easily; the other requires constant concentration. In the world of the physical, we breathe without thinking about and notice our neighbor’s new red sports car… without much thought. On the other hand, it takes great concentration to also notice and respond to things that are much more important— the homeless person beside the road with the hand-painted sign or the single mother with a disabled child who lives down the street. Quoting from Yancey—

At the heart of the Christian view of reality is the stark belief that two worlds coexist on planet Earth, constantly interacting and sometimes colliding, with human beings playing a central role in that drama. Somehow I must come to terms with that point of view and allow it to shape my everyday life. Faith is being “certain of what we do not see,” says the book of Hebrews, bringing the two worlds together.

Spiritual living takes much more concentration and hard work than living a life focused only on the here and how. This life comes easy. We don’t need any prodding to tell us we’re hungry and need food. But when we choose to live a spiritual life, that is harder. We have to focus harder and search harder. We have to focus. The invisible world is much harder to see. And when we search for it, we become out of step with those around us whose only focus in the seen reality. Paul saw that spiritual reality, and thus he could say “From now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view” (2 Cor 5:16). That is a lot easier to say that it is to live, but then we have to keep our focus!