Restless

As Christians we are to look to Christ and to His Kingdom. That will mean looking to His fully established Kingdom, which means looking beyond this world as we know it today.

That means being constantly restless - looking for more Kingdom-likeness, anticipating what to many will seem to be an 'other-world' or 'out of this world' viewpoint. Not so that we are of no practical use in the today, but precisely because we have this other-world view we are down to earth and head-strong in the belief that things today can be changed.

Nouwen puts it well in his book Open Hands:
You are Christian only so long as ...

• you look forward to a new world
• you pose critical questions to society of today
• you emphasize the need for conversion
• you do not let yourself become established in seeming calm
• you stay unsatisfied with the status quo
• you keep saying that a new world is yet to come
• you believe you have a role to play in realising this new kingdom
• you urge everyone with a holy unrest to make haste

He concludes by asserting that a Christian must keep looking for a new order, a new structure, a new life. Strong, uncompromising, radical words ... with no room for half-measures!

So if you follow Christ, then be Christian ... be restless.