monkey catching

It's time to put the pieces together.

1. I want to go to India this summer.
2. New Delhi has a monkey problem.

1 + 2 = I go to India and make money as a monkey catcher in New Delhi. Foolproof.

Pros of this idea: I'm in India as a monkey catcher
Cons of this idea: none.

I feel like I had an important revelation today in class that I've forgotten now. Oops. Oh yeah, I remember. We were talking about Luther's combat model of Christianity, he viewed the Christian life very much as a battle against different evils. I don't resonate with this model. Here are two of the reasons:

1) A combat model supposes that there is an actual battle between good and evil. The problem with this is that this battle idea looks like two equal forces fighting each other, where the outcome is uncertain. But the outcome is certain. God wins in the end. He wins on this earth and he wins in me. In that sense, there is no battle, it's done with, done for. That gives me a lot of peace, to know that whatever struggles I face, it's done with. And that's not peace that makes me feel lazy or like obedience to God is unimportant. More, I think, it's peace that makes it easier for me to love. I don't believe in predestination, but I do think that it's done with.

2) I don't see Jesus viewing his own life and mission primarily as combat. God sent his son because he loved the world, not because he needed to fight against it. Jesus came to bring life, full life. When I think of Jesus, I don't think of him fighting, I think of him coming and "kissing a guilty world in love." I see his life as an embrace, not as a battle. One of the guy's in my class rightly pointed out that Jesus talks about not coming to bring peace, but a sword. But whatever division Jesus causes, whatever battle he takes part in, I see this within the context of his love and not the other way around, just like I see God's hatred of sin as secondary to his love.

Love love love, I feel like I talk about that a lot, and I'm getting a little sick of hearing myself.

A third reason: I don't view my life as a struggle against sin. Is there some such struggle? The answer is obviously yes in that I sin. But that's not how I view my day or orient my life. I try to orient it towards seeking God and joining in with God. This has been a change that has been developing for a long time, and mostly in the last year and a half. I don't feel that by not focusing on morality I've become a less moral person. And, I can definitely say that I don't freak out as much about whether or not I'm doing what's right. I don't feel guilty as much, and I think that's good. It's more about struggling towards God than trying to get away from sin, and the distinction is important.