(Based on John 17:12-19)
I had this boss once who treated me like a close friend. He made a lot more money than me, and held a much higher status than me with the company. I had just been promoted, and was learning the ropes. The company I worked for was very competitive in the market it was in, so there were very strict rules for employees. My boss could have easily thrown me under the bus on several different occasions for screwing up, but he didn't. There was something about the way he lived that transcended the systems of the company. While the company expected its employees to follow a strict chain of command and adhere to the socio-economic strata of a beurocracy, this boss was always intentional about being a friend.
Many times he would invite me over for homemade meals, because he knew that I didn't have much money to cook for myself. He transcended the system of the chain of command and invested in me, a peon. Other times he would cover up for my mistakes to the higher-ups. He took risks.
When Hurricane Ike came to Galveston, he made sure that we were the last ones to leave. UTMB was evacuating all their patients by helicopter, and we were the only ones on the island available to fuel them up. We worked together to make sure that we didn't leave before any of the helicopters were fueled up, even though the tarmac already had a foot of water covering it from the storm surge. He didn't see the opportunity as a way of maximizing profit for the company, but he saw actual people on these helicopters who were in critical condition and needed to get transported do a different location as soon as possible.
What this boss showed me was that it doesn't matter how much money or how esteemed my position is. What matter is the heart. When Jesus says things like "ways of the world," he's essentially saying that there is the default system like maximizing profit, and then there's his system.
Jesus did not remove himself from Jewish custom or the synagogue. He observed and practiced just like everyone else. It was inside these systems that he contributed "new life." It was inside of the temple where he gave profound speeches that completely blew away the thinking at that time. It was inside a Greek bath house that he brought healing to a paralyzed man. It was at a Jewish wedding that he turned water to wine. He didn't remove himself or avoid the "bad people" in order to love people. He jumped right in, knowing it could cause him trouble, and loved in ways that countered the established systems of law and religion.
There are systems all around us, and there are many. One of the systems people usually have at work is, "don't bring your problems to work." A system at school may be, "don't sit with the nerds." A system at church may be "you have to be a Christian to take communion." A system in the family may be, "keep our secrets to ourselves."
What Jesus invites us to do is to contribute to life wherever we are. Acknowledge the systems around us but don't stop there. See how it could be better and "be the change." As Jesus prayed that we not be removed from the world, so we should not isolate ourselves from the systemic injustices around us. Whether it be at work or school, there are systemic injustices.
One of the things I like about the story of Jesus is how he places himself right in the middle of things he disagrees with. He doesn't move to the edges of town and tell people about how he doesn't like them. Instead, he gets right in the middle of it and works from the inside out. Avoiding what we consider wrong or bad may actually be a hindrance instead of a help.
If we believe that everything is in a process of restoration, then we are going to want to changed things from the inside out. If the church is focused on building campaigns and not serving the poor, then it is up to the people inside to change it from the inside out. If there is racial discrimination within the school system, it's up to the people inside to reclaim the dignity of every human being walking through the doors. If the family has developed a habit of keeping skeletons in the closet, it's up to someone inside to change it from the inside out.
There are enough people who see something wrong or conflicting with their belief systems who remove themselves from the situation. What is needed are people who see something wrong and then work to see it change, right in the middle of the mess. Trying to see change happen is much harder and more impractical as an outsider looking in, because the ins and outs are a guessing game.
We have clues to lead us to our "change in the world." There is something inside us that gets riled up certain instances. Some people call it a holy discontent, others call it righteous anger. These are good terms for somebody, but discontent and anger are not my forte. When I get discontent or angry about anything, I blind myself to the beauty of what's going on around me. The point is to pay attention to where our compassion gravitates to. Is it nursing? Is it dishwashing? Is it teaching? Is it working with the homeless? Chances are that as we pursue our hearts' desires, we're going to run up against some systems that antagonize what our hearts are telling us is right. It's in these instances that we discover our greatest mission - to bring restoration to a broken system of injustice.
We all have a mission. We've either discovered it or we haven't, but it's there calling us and drawing us forward. Some of us find it early while others of us find it much later in life. One of the major systems established in the world is the system of success. Success is defined by financial gain and status. This system works if the one who is subscribing to its statutes is passionate about the role being pursued. If a person truly enjoys and is good at something, and with it comes financial gain and status, and they find their mission inside of their work - the part of the system that is broke and needs restoration, then I can't picture a more beautiful description of what Jesus is talking about when prays that we not be removed from the world.
In a nutshell, this is what I am doing when it comes to being on mission in the world:
- Figure out what I'm passionate about the most (writing)
- Set up goals that pertain to where I want to take this passion (publishing, journalism)
- Be aware of the systemic injustices around me pertaining to this passion (illiteracy among the homeless, for example)
- Set up goals to "be the change" (set up writing classes with the homeless, for example)
I am in the second part, which includes writing a ton, even if it's not what I enjoy writing. When I am doing what I'm passionate about - or what I'm "on mission for"- everything becomes sacred. The papers, the lectures, the class discussions, the hours on the computer, it all becomes sacred because it's part of the path to contributing to the restoration of the world via my specific passion and niche.
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