Sometimes in my life it really strikes how weird it is to be a Christian. Ways of thinking begin to change when you follow Jesus Christ, and they often change so subtly that you only realize you are different when you suddenly run into someone who believes the prevailing opinion of the day, and they just can't understand you.
This happened to me last week as I was getting my hair cut, of all things. While not normally a setting for extended intellectual conversation, I found that this particular time the conversation with the woman cutting my hair did turn to philosophical topics. I suppose this is natural considering the simple question "What do you do?" immediately leads into a discussion of the abortion debate. However, as we conversed, the topic slowly turned to the liberal arts, philosophy, teaching, and the meaning of life in general. I kid you not, we did end up discussing what should be important in our lives. This came about because she asked about my education, and she couldn't understand how someone could go to college for four years to get a degree that wouldn't automatically land them a job. In fact, she went so far as to say it was "irresponsible" for someone to spend all that time and money to get a degree that would not return the investment of money.
It was at this point in the conversation that I realized exactly how far apart we were, and it made me think of why I had gone and gotten a degree in Philosophy with a minor in Theology. She was right, of course, that these two degrees don't exactly scream "high paying job just out of college." So, why was it that I had chosen to study the liberal arts? As I sat in the chair, I thought about the term "irresponsible" that she had used. Was it "irresponsible" of me to take on debt my family and I would have to pay back when the degree I got for that debt wouldn't pay for itself?
Of course, it would have been irresponsible of me to do this if the sole goal of a father was to provide for the material well being of his children. Fortunately for me, I believe a father is a lot more than that. A father's most important duties include introducing his children to Jesus Christ, forming their imaginations and intellect so they love and appreciate the Creator and His creation, and teaching them right from wrong so that they might live good lives. The financial consideration is second to all this. And there was my answer: I had not gone to college in order to provide for my children materially, but I had gone to college to provide for my children spiritually.
When I told the woman this, I believe she was very confused to say the least. She was quiet for a while, and then she said to me, "Well, that's a completely different way of thinking about things." Indeed, she was right, not many people think like this. When you're a Christian, the priorities should and do shift. This means that we must come to value things based on the value they have in the spiritual world and not the value they have here in the material. Now, I'm not saying I'm perfect and always value the spiritual over the material; I can assure you there are still plenty of material comforts I am attached to. What I am saying is that to be Christians, we must experience at least the beginnings of this fundamental shift in worldview. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to put aside worldly things, and "live as servants of God" as St. Peter says.
The scary thing is that this call of Christ has drastic practical implications. We cannot be Christians on Sunday and live the rest of our lives as non-Christians. Christianity, the living out of a relationship with Jesus Christ, is something that relies on and affects every aspect of our existence. This means that we must be disciples of Christ in our work, in our leisure, in our relationships with other people, in the managing of our finances, in the raising of our children and in our reflecting upon the world. We are called to a great calling; we are called to become fully immersed in Christ. By necessity, this will make us different from others.
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