Don't let your eyes...

Don't let your eyes become accustomed to the dark.

This is something Shane Claiborne quotes at the end of his book "Irresistible Revolution". It's originally from a song, but I'll have to get back to you w/ more info on that. It struck me though as I was reading, because I struggle sometimes with wondering if I'm an idealist in certain situations, if I have unrealistic expectations of what could be. If you know me sort of well, you might believe this is far from the truth... accountants tend to be realists, and I do take on that role at times mostly to balance out the company I'm with. But really, I have all sorts of ideas and expectations for what can be done. I half-joke sometimes when people ask me what I really want to do with my life (since I'm pretty sure accounting isn't it) that I want to evenly distribute the world's resources. But really, I do. Granted the role I can have on a large scale may be small, but the role I can have small-scale could be huge. Educating a community can go a long way, especially if it's done in a culturally-sensitive way.

But the point is... I think a lot about idealism, and how to find a balance between having a vision for what could be but still being content... contentment w/o complacency is a difficult thing. My recent conclusion is that it's ok to be idealistic, b/c God has bigger plans for this world than I could ever ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20). We may be living in the dark, but we don't have to let our eyes grow accustomed to it. It's ok... and good (!) to envision and work for a better world.

Another thing Shane says in his book is that if you are frustrated or discontent, consider that a blessing. You have been given vision, and your responsibility is to do something about that.

So I make it my goal to "not let my eyes become accustomed to the dark". This world is full of darkness, but God IS light, and brings light to the world. So we should not be content in the dark.