My dresser is probably not unlike yours. It has drawers on two sides, every one of them packed full of clothing.
I have a drawer for my socks, another for my shorts and another for my pants. Shirts and underwear have their own places. Everything has its place, so when I need to, I can go to the drawer and pull out what I require.
In life, I have similar drawers that I open, depending on my need. I have a drawer for family. I open it up, talk to the kids, spend time with my wife, and be a family man. It can close when I open another drawer, such as the recreation one. That’s the one with my golf clubs or fly rod. It’s the drawer I open when I watch a baseball game or go to a concert.
I have a work drawer. When I open this up, I get serious. Customers depend on me. My boss is counting on me. My coworkers need me. I have projects to complete, paperwork to fill out and reports to review.
And then I have the faith drawer. I open this on Sunday morning as I head to church. It’s a nice drawer, but it sometimes gets closed all too quickly, especially if someone else tries to look in it. If I’m honest, I rarely open it the rest of the week. Crowded by commitments to the other drawers, I keep it closed.
To further compound the problem, I often only open one drawer at a time, especially when it comes to work. I’ve been conditioned by peer pressure, court actions, and company policy to keep my faith conveniently tucked away. I’ve been told to have a “personal faith,” and to keep it that way. “Religion and politics” are two subjects that are off-limits.
But the quandary isn’t just talking about it. It’s living it. The truth is that I hardly even think about my faith at work, what God wants me to do, or how to reach my coworker. Ever.
Jesus spoke about the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 13:44, likening it to a treasure “hidden in a field.” A man discovered this treasure, and then decided to bury it in a hole and hide it again. What was he afraid of?
That’s just like me. I have a great treasure, but I keep it hidden in tidy compartments. My organization of my life is admirable, but my application of my faith is inadequate.
Sometimes, I think it’s time to dump all the drawers out and start over.
How about you? Care to comment?
7 comments so far - add yours here:
I appreciate your honesty about the struggle of living out your faith in all areas of life, not just Sundays.
One of the practices that helps me not compartmentalize my spirituality is on-the-job praying. I write about that here: http://junctionforjesus.blogspot.com/2010/05/on-job-praying.html
--Richard
Thank you for your comment on my blog. As I type, I am sitting at my desk, looking at the drawers in a different light!
Oh you hit a nerve with this one -- I am such a compartmentalizer (is that even a word?). Time to dump out the drawers and mix it up a bit.
Brilliant website, I had not noticed redletterbelievers.blogspot.com earlier in my searches!
Keep up the wonderful work!
I can relate all too well to this post. My faith drawer needs to be opened more often and allowed to spill into the others.
I like the idea of dumping them all out and starting over. Why do we have to be so darn organized?
I think compartmentalizing can be useful at times to help us from becoming overwhelmed, and to approach the various tasks and responsibilities we have in life. But, like you say,the danger is in losing touch with one part of us while we pursue another. That is not healthy. The better way is to be whole and integrated, so that each thing we do is done in the context of our overall life- who we are, our relationships, our faith, our values.
I'm not saying it's good or bad, but I'm convinced this is one of the fundamental differences between men and women once they become parents.
I think men have more freedom to compartmentalize than women. Whether at home or work, we're on call, maybe thinking on two tracks. Even when I'm a thousand miles away at a writers conference, I stand in the hotel lobby and sing a praise song so my daughter will go to sleep.
I'm not positive, but maybe that's why it's easier for me to integrate faith into all the places I live life. It might be more challenging in an office or other work places, and I've not always been innocent about remembering to keep faith up front. But even when I forget, I later think, "Oh, I could have said ..."
Love the analogy, David. You're dead on.
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