Out of his mind?

Mark 3: 20 - 21

The people were saying of Jesus, 'He is beside himself'.

There have always been 'religious fanatics' and we are well advised to stay clear of them. Often these are the 'cults'. It is obvious enough when they lead people to actions that anyone can see are misguided and dangerous. But Jesus himself was labelled as one 'out of his mind'!! Not only from the people but from his own family members as well.

It is not always straightforward when we seek to do the will of God. On the surface it might seem easy enough. Moreover, we expect that the way would be open to us, despite the expected sacrifices we make. But it is not so. I have come to believe that even our Christian family often misunderstands. After talking with many people, I realize that misunderstandings stem from not being clear what is person's call is all about. Those who are called to active ministry may think that the ones called to a slower contemplative pace are just being lazy. While those who are called to a life of contemplation may find the active ones 'out of their minds'. In this instance, Jesus was misunderstood at a time when ministry meant crowds following him everywhere, even crowding out personal time to eat. At another time and place, when he withdrew from others for deep prayer, his disciples searched for him and declared in no uncertain terms that he was urgently needed by the people. In other words, "Get busy!".

I know that listening to God's direction for my life is 'risky'. It may lead to being misunderstood and being thought unhelpful and unfruitful. This is the usual case given our evangelical 'spirituality of do-ing'. Lately, the Lord has been teaching me about the danger of saying 'Yes' too quickly to calls for ministry. I have a tendency to say 'Yes' too easily, without listening and waiting for God's real calling for me. A desire to be helpful, a desire to serve, no doubt....but it can and does lead to blurring of focus. Mary's focus loses out to Martha's distraction. Yes, if we follow Jesus, and choose to be true to our calling, there will surely be times when we are misunderstood.

So after this prior warning, would we still want to be found "in the company of Jesus?"