Frank Sinatra theology

Lately I have been wrestling with what I call Frank Sinatra theology (or maybe it’s Bing Crosby) – do-be-do-be-do. There is such a pull in me to “do” things for the Lord, to live a Kingdom-minded life. I see the brokenness of the world around me, from neighbors on Silver to families in my church, and feel the need to get busy fixing. And yet in my times with the Lord, I am learning the lessons of abiding, of waiting, of trusting the Lord to be the one doing the work.

While I know that resting in Christ does not equal inertia, I also know that sometimes my “kingdom work” can look and sound spiritual but be generated by my flesh. This morning I was reading in Colossians 3:1-3, and Paul tells us to set our hearts and our minds on heaven, on things above, not on earthly things. It was interesting to me that my mental distractions that immediately sprung up were not material items I wanted or sexual temptations or anger towards someone who had wronged me, but rather people and issues around me that I ought to help with. I see other churches who are doing more than my church, and I think I need to generate more programs for the poor. I remember how harried and exhausted I was when we were seeing tons of financial assistance cases last year and I shudder, but then I think, “At least I was doing something."

I’ve also been studying Mark, and I have been intrigued by how much time Jesus spends talking about God’s Kingdom and how little time He spends fixing people. It seems that if the Kingdom advances in the lives of people, many issues of the world begin to take care of themselves.

And so right now, I think that I am being called to listen to the voice that says abide and trust. To seek Christ and His Kingdom, but not seek to make the Kingdom come. To wait and listen, even if it feels unproductive, and believe that God will move me when it is time. Maybe I need to change my listening genre to blues for a while and hang out with “Be Be” King (sorry, that was a pretty bad pun, I know).