Compartments and Catagories

I must admit, I haven't been to Sharper Iron in a while. I have been taking a break since some of the attitudes displayed there tend to tick me off. And yes, I realize getting ticked off doesn't make the list of thinking of things that are true, lovely, and of a good report. So that is why I have taken a break. But this excellent article drew me back (HT: Ben). This is the 2nd article by Holly Stratton (wife of the pres. of Clearwater Christian College) that has knocked my socks off.

First of all, this woman can write! I both enjoy and envy intelligent, engaging writers.

Second of all, she writes from the heart. She makes you think and question the things you do and the ways you do them. Her writing makes you check your heart, and what is better than that?

Here is a hint of what you will read in the article that deals with discernment:

“Mom, are you sure this is a Bible thing, or is it just an old thing?” As I sat with my son downloading previews of music he was asking me to evaluate, I suddenly yearned for the days when the only song in his musical repertoire that even faintly raised my eyebrow was one that involved a rather raucous garden escape by Peter Rabbit. Everyone needs an inquisitive, status quo-examining teenager in his home. Teens are so adept at poking around in our neatly arranged boxes of rejection and asking those challenging questions about the items that interest them. It can be quite irritating at times, and I confess the inconvenience of it all has far too often driven me to seal the container shut and shoo away the grubby little paws that are daring to rummage through items I have proudly rejected for half a century.
I am just lazy enough to engage in some hefty, white-knuckled clinging to the convenience that boxes and labels offer. I thrive on organization, but since I’m not naturally neat enough to achieve it on my own, I tend to rely heavily on baskets and bins. I possess a “contained chaos” kind of style. As long as things look neat and orderly, my conscience usually finds soothing just enough to enjoy a few good patronizing pats on the back from that annoyingly virtuous woman of my dreams.
I find that I especially love containers that house those “gray matters” that, when left unconfined, require the expenditure of a painful amount of mental and spiritual exercise in discerning their individual worth. It’s much easier to simply clump the items together and then tuck them in a box and label it. Actually, the easiest thing to do is to just utilize those pre-labeled boxes. I’ve taken advantage of that benefit more than I care to admit. Not only is this nifty compartmentalization convenient, but also it looks incredibly neat when the boxes are neatly arranged on the shelf. G-rated movies? ACCEPT. R-rated moves? REJECT. Hymns? ACCEPT. Contemporary worship songs? REJECT. Televisions? ACCEPT. Movie Theaters? REJECT.


So, enjoy the article, and take a moment to apply it to your own life.