The Lifeboat

I recently finished a book called "Searching for God Knows What" by Donald Miller. You may have read his other book, Blue Like Jazz, or maybe never heard of him at all. Anyway, I was really challenged by several things he said in this book and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's wondering about God questions and what life is about.

My wife is a middle school counselor and I was laughing with her about a couple remarks he has about his life as a middle-schooler. He described an interesting conversation his teacher led in class one day. It was an exercise in ethics and she presented the topic like this: (paraphrase of his words of her words) "There are 6 people in a lifeboat. (I don't remember the 6 so I'll make them up) A lawyer, a doctor, a librarian, a musician, a janitor, and an unemployed person. There is only room for 5 in the boat and if you don't toss someone out, the boat will sink and everyone will die. Who do you think should get tossed out?"

Miller recounts at the time how the class offered up different people to walk the plank and how there were reasons for why each person should go. He goes on to talk about how though it was only an exercise in class, he could see how it was much more descriptive of life than the teacher probably imagined. Even at such a young age he could articulate what the "lifeboat" mentality looked like in his school. As he grew the mentality didn't fade away, it just grew stronger but less overt. There is this whole social structure that is invisible, no one ever talks about it or refers to it, it's kind of this unwritten code that we all get indoctrinated in from an early age, probably late elemenatary or early middle school, and it lasts the rest of our lives.

I know exactly what he is talking about. I can remember in school that there were always the cool people, the loners, the jocks, the preps, the stoners, and the outcasts. Again, most of this was not verbalized among students, but it was definitely lived by, myself included.

Miller argues that this code has been around since the begining of time, as a consequence of the fall. He says that Adam and Eve were once in a place where their identity was so fulfilled through their relationship to God that they walked around naked and didn't even realize it. But after the fall, the first thing they did instinctively was cover up. No longer was the issue of identity clear and fulfilled, now it was in question. Miller then talks about how Jesus came and completed violated all the unwritten rules of this code when he walked the earth. He looked around and saw these people living by this foolish standard of trying to prove to other people why they shouldn't be tossed out of the boat. Their whole lives were centered around staying at the top of the ladder, constantly proving their worth in the boat. Jesus comes along and says that not only is this a waste of time, there is no boat to be tossed out of in the first place. Each and every person is loved by God for he/she was created in His image. The question of God fulfilling our identity was not missing, it's just that now there's competition.

I've been thinking about this a lot this past week. How much of my life have I wasted trying to prove to myself or others that I am worthy to stay in the boat? This is such a powerful urge in me that I also catch myself trying to prove to God why I should be worthy of His grace and love. Jesus says, "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matt 6:31-33).

It's amazing to me that Christians like myself, who don't really understand the call of Christ, end up spending our lives running after the very things the pagans, those who don't know Christ, run after. That is really a sobering thought. Makes me wonder if this is part of what Jesus meant when he said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. "