disruptive

There are times when something needs to be disrupted and times when it doesn’t.

There are times when we need to defer and times when we don’t.

There are times when we need to be counter-cultural and times when we don’t.

Jesus Himself, laid aside His rights and became like us taking on the form of a man. He lived within a time and place and culture. Yet when it counted, He amazed those around by disrupting the cultural norms.

If something is seen as loving in a cultural context, even if it doesn’t have any objective basis that I agree with, is it worth disrupting? 

If something is seen as unloving in a cultural context, even if it doesn’t have any objective basis that I agree with or recognize as being found in truth, is it worth disrupting?

For those of us with a strong sense of justice, this can be really hard to navigate. When do we defer? When do we disrupt?

A stark example circles in my mind of being welcomed with some of the most extravagant hospitality I have ever experienced in my life. Extended by the poorest of the poor in our world, in a region of the world few want to go to or can even get into right now. It was a beautiful exchange of lives shared together for an afternoon… one I will never forget, and when I least expect it pulls my heart back to that place and those people. One thing that would have been extremely offensive would have been for me to have shown the soles of my feet as we sat on the floor together. Now, would they have been gracious had I done so? Most definitely, it is their character to be so. Is there actually anything wrong with the soles of someone’s feet? No. Aren’t we fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God? Absolutely. Am I free to show the soles of my feet any time I want to? For sure. But would it have been worth it?

I think of certain hand gestures or words that are objectively seen as having unloving connotations in a cultural context, and these undoubtedly shift from culture to culture and from century to century. But if it is perceived as unloving, is it worth it?

True love does stand up for the oppressed and does set captives free and does fight for truth and is at times passionate and emphatic.

It seems the kind of disruption that resonates most is one of love and sacrificial service for another. And it seems the kind of deferring that resonates most is one of love and sacrificial service for another.

So maybe it’s less about an idea, and instead more about people. Maybe it’s less about a right, and more about sacrifice. Maybe it’s less about being right, and more about loving well in light of larger truths. Maybe it’s less about comparatively smaller issues and more about a larger metanarrative we have the joy of walking in and reflecting.