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I Peter 1: 1 (NIV)
To God’s
elect, strangers in the world . . .
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| The church will always be counter-cultural.* |
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After my husband’s retirement, we traveled a
lot. We loved to explore new places, hike in God’s creation, and eat at Triple-D restaurants (as featured on the Food Network show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives), taking lots of pictures along the way. Strangely, I hate feeling and looking
like a tourist, even though that’s what I am and even though I love doing what
tourists do.
Even though a Christian is what I am and I love doing what Christians do, I am often uncomfortable when my Christianity causes me to feel like a stranger in the world. Why would I want to feel at home here?
Peter’s letter may be addressed to literal
strangers – Christians who were scattered throughout the regions listed in his
opening remarks – but Christians are by definition temporary residents in a
strange land. As Paul reminds us in Philippians 3: 20, our citizenship is in
heaven. When I start to feel like I want to fit in among the locals, I need to
remind myself that I’m just passing through.
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| I can handle being a pilgrim as long as I know that I can call home whenever I want.* |
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