Invisible Lines

As Melissa and I were flying back from a weekend in California, I found myself doing the same thing I do every time I fly. I was looking out of the window wondering what state we were over at the time. This time, it got me thinking. We, as a culture, are surrounded by invisible lines.

We mark off invisible lines that divide countries. Invisible lines divide states. They divide counties, and even townships. Property lines, many times, are established with invisible lines. Some of us...me for example...have invisible lines of "personal space". Our world seems to be overrun by these invisible lines and we live our lives obeying the restrictions and barriers that these invisible lines manufacture.

However, as you fly over this wonderful country of ours...you see none of these invisible lines. All you see is a mass of land that is shared by everyone below...each car...each home...each person. They all share the same place. I imagine God looking at things from a "high" place much like I was in our small aircraft. He sees us all sharing the place that He created. There are no invisible lines in God's eyes. There are no countries...there are no states...there are no townships...there are no property lines.

We are intended to live in harmony and peace. Unfortunately, this is very difficult because of our invisible lines. We hear of wars over these invisible lines. We even hear of arguments over which state is better. Don't we all live in the same place. All of our land is connected...therefore, we are all connected. But...we don't like that. We like our invisible lines because it separates us from one another. The invisible lines tell me that you and I are not alike. I am from Indiana...and most likely...you are not. If you are...you are probably not from the same town and certainly not from the same property (home).

Maybe a lot of the struggles that our culture endures is caused by the invisible lines. Many people refer to the "Acts 2" church. It didn't seem as though they had many invisible lines and things seemed pretty good there. So good that people today desire to establish congregations that are modeled on the "Acts 2" church. I just wonder how much each of us struggle with invisible lines. How much does it hurt our ministry? How much does it hurt our friendships? How much does it hurt our marriages?

As I sat high above the earth in my cramped seat I couldn't help but think...what does God think about our invisible lines? What would God want us to do about our invisible lines?

Maybe something that we need to do is erase the invisible lines. I know that the reality is that this is difficult if not impossible...but isn't it worth a try? In order for these lines to be erased, we must first start small. By small, I mean those invisible lines that we draw around ourselves, our heart, our minds, and our souls. It is only then that we can even begin to focus on bigger invisible lines.