Saturday, January 10, 2015

31 Days: Rules vs Heart

It's this very controversy - blessing vs curse - that brings me to where we found ourselves three and a half years ago when God opened doors for us to move our family across the country to a different state. Please don't get me wrong, no offense to the people in the state where we moved, this issue is EVERYWHERE in the Mennonite world! It's just that we so happened to put ourselves smack in the middle of two sides - the old, traditional, "Rules" side and the new, revolutionary, "Heart" side. And we needed to make a choice. Which side did we want to be on?

Did we want the "Rules" side - the side that looked the most like we did, appeared to hold more the same convictions as us concerning dress and many other things, seemed like a safe place with less peer pressure to raise a family of 5 young children? Or the "Heart" side - the side that was more concerned about what was in the heart than making sure everything looked "right" on the outside, the side that focused more on "what does the Bible say?" than "what do the standards say?", the side that looked different than us but shared many of our concerns?

Tell me, where would YOU choose to raise a family of 5 young children?

6 comments:

Tina said...

Are the two differing sets of ideas not compatible or what?:)

Bethany Eicher said...

I think that's what brought me to this project - trying to figure that question out! Any input is welcome :)

Anonymous said...

Maybe it's not so much either this way or that way as which one comes first in importance? As in - When Jesus said this ye should have done and not left the other undone? Perhaps that quote is out of context here. A healthy tension between the two 'sides' as you called them seems to me to be both helpful and necessary. Jo

Ash said...

I'm deciding to be brave here & comment. I'm just reading your blog for the first time. For me I've felt a three way pull...from the ones at church to going back to where I come from through the week. My journey has not been easy & many are not christian in my family but, have quite a few who know about Jesus. I have said recently I am not always patient & I have ran after Jesus & fell on my face ALOT..going against His timing. But that's ok! I've no idea why we were led to a mennonite church other than it was for our good & smile about it. Over the last 6+ years it has been one of the first places where complete silence has hurt my feelings because I've felt no one can relate. That's when God is enough. My greatest desire was to let Him shine in me & out & to be met where I am in my personal relationship..holding hands along the way.

Bethany Eicher said...

Thanks, Ash, for being brave!! :) I love the picture of us pursuing our personal relationships with Him and holding hands along the way... I want to learn to hold out my hands to others better instead of hiding out in my little corner which is what comes natural to me!!

Ash said...

Well I'll let you in on a secret. It may look like I'm a social butterfly but, I smile & laugh when I'm nervous. Most of the time my heart races just speaking in front of people & in my head at the same time I'm saying "Ok, God make me bold as a lion here." Just reading your blog helps me to know you also & I'm glad. I felt much grace when you smiled at me in the parking lot at school the other day whether you know it or not & pursued you via fb. haha it counts!