A couple years ago when I first believed, I had a new awareness of truth and right/wrong, and I felt like I had to reevaluate everything in my life: Should I eat this type of food? Should I drink coffee? Alcohol? Should I go to the gym? Should I work out at all? Should I wear my old clothes? Should I buy an entire new wardrobe? Should I spend that much money on an entire new wardrobe? and so on.
When I’d ask such questions, seasoned believers would point me to these two verses from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians:
“‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.” –1 Corinthians 10:23
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” –1 Corinthians 10:31
There are so many little things in life that are “gray areas”–neither explicitly allowed or disallowed by scripture. These things seem small, yet they’re still a part of our lives that we have to handle somehow.
I’ve found it helpful to remember that though there is not necessarily one right answer, some answers are preferable to others, all of which can be discerned over time through prayer and experience (Romans 12:2). And it’s important to remember to be patient with the way others handle their own gray areas. What is beneficial to one believer is less helpful to another, but we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and answerable to him (Romans 14:4).
Today’s entry from My Utmost for His Highest addresses the spiritual conceit of only taking the deep things in life seriously as if the small things don’t matter:
“Beware of allowing yourself to think that the shallow concerns of life are not ordained by God; they are as much of God as the profound. It is not your devotion to God that makes you refuse to be shallow, but your wish to impress other people with the fact that you are not shallow, which is a sure sign that you are a spiritual prig… Beware of posing as a profound person; God became a Baby.
To be shallow is not a sign of being wicked, nor is shallowness a sign that there are no deeps: the ocean has a shore. The shallow amenities of life, eating and drinking, walking and talking, are all ordained by God. These are the things in which Our Lord lived. He lived in them as the Son of God, and He said that ‘the disciple is not above his Master.’” –Oswald Chambers
The last bit referencing John 13:16 is really powerful to remember when we’re asked to do shallow, trivial things, especially things that are not convenient! Christ was not bothered by our inconveniences, but loved us to the point of experiencing our death penalty for us, and he calls us to follow him in this sacrificial love (John 15:12-13). I pray that we’d not lose sight of Christ’s commandment to love in whatever we’re doing, things both great and small.