If a car is put in neutral, it will eventually come to a stop. The engine can be revved, and the car can be a premium grade having all the added options, but without the transmission being in gear, it will go nowhere. The vehicle will eventually lose its ability to make forward progress because of its neutrality.
In a culture filled with so many impassioned and angry voices, in our frustration, it is too easy to seek a voiceless place of neutrality thinking that is a spiritual place to live. Some followers of Jesus who want to appear informed and balanced must be careful they do not put the transmission of their faith into a form of intellectual and spiritual neutral. This can cause the impact of their lives to gradually slow and become stationary without having any real Kingdom influence on the surrounding culture and within the Church.
The only gear that will give you the right kind of engagement is the heart of God. Some good people have come to a standstill because they have wanted to distance themselves from all the trash-talk. In the long run, that choice doesn’t work because it leaves the cultural conversation without the sound of God's heart.
If you find yourself wanting to walk away from all the drama, consider withdrawing to a place of solitude with God for a season. Read the Psalms. Meditate on God’s goodness. Detoxify your soul. Fast. Do whatever you need to do to discover what your voice sounds like when you choose to speak the truth of God's heart in love.
Seek the heart of God, and once you encounter His heart, you will be able to engage your spiritual gears once again and find your way forward along the noisy and congested cultural highway. Stay engaged and in gear with the heart of God. It is the only gear that will give you the traction needed to move forward and make a difference.
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