the concept of "living in the tension" is not new to me. in a sense its something we all have to do on a daily basis. there's a fundamental element of the world being at odds with itself and everything else at all times. there are moments of harmony that burst through the tension. i've heard that described as heaven coming to earth.
this makes me think of two things:
first, what is "living in the tension"? here's how its manifesting itself in my life this week. i have had this profound joy from being in community, experiencing God's faithfulness and knowing i'm right where i'm supposed to be. but at the same time things are happening around me so that i feel immense sorrow, grief, and a huge sense of loss; i have a strong desire to go home and be with family and people from my past, some in support of them, some as support for me. clearly there are some very conflicting things going on in my life/heart/mind right now. "living in the tension" is finding out how to live into that, being okay in the tension and not letting it overcome you. realizing that it is actually a good thing. because, while some of these things are conflicting in nature they are, at their root, healthy.
second, what do i mean, heaven coming to earth? when we recognize the tension around us we open doors at every turn to share what God's love really looks like. and in those moments when we walk through those doors, heaven goes from being the theoretical place we go to when we die to shattering through our present situation. these are the moments people say they looked up into the eyes of someone near and say they saw jesus.
heaven is possible here on earth. and i think it is in this tension that it is most pronounced, easiest to achieve, and most life-changing.
if we can learn how to live in the tension.
