S is for Sacred…and Secular

The road to the sacred leads through the secular.
~Abraham Joshua Heschel

Many people sort their lives into neat little well-organized compartments. On one hand, there’s the things that are viewed as sacred; you know…the kind of music, art, books, jobs, companies, etc. considered holy that God would approve of if you want to get to heaven in a spiritual way.  Then, there’s the other worldly stuff that’s sometimes viewed as not relating to spiritual well-being, and should be avoided. Religiosity declared class warfare centuries ago with the idea that there was a marked difference between sacred and secular activities. And never should the two mix.

And Religiosity simply loves to chain us to a list of “God-authorized” approved items for daily living. The result tends to be a list of man-made rules and regulations intended to shame believers into towing the party line. But, the truth is there aren’t any secular objects or activities. Everything was created by God, so everything can be considered sacred. Rap music you ask? Yes, sadly, even rap music.

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. ~Psalms 24:1

The problems occur when objects or activities created for our benefit are abused, misused and otherwise corrupted. And, this side of heaven, the probability of that happening is somewhere around 110%. But, becoming Sacred Isolationists isn’t the answer. The Holy Huddle mentality has driven thousands of people away from faith. And I totally understand why. When we look at everything in this world as belonging to the Creator of the Universe, we no longer view things as either sacred and secular.

Because, God is not King of only select areas of the earth. He doesn’t only hang out in church choir lofts or on mission trip buses. There is sacredness in everything from the farmer plowing the field to the CEO signing the deal. The job of the construction worker is just as sacred as the scientist’s research. The work done by stay-at-home moms picking up after toddlers/teenagers is just as sacred as those climbing the corporate ladder.  The song of the street rapper is just as sacred as the gospel singer. The only question is how our free will abuse use the numerous wonderful gifts and opportunities we’ve been given.

I believe God wants us to engage in all areas of our culture…keeping in mind that everything we read, write, draw, paint, sculpt, speak, sing, watch and do for a living needs to be done with the sole intent of honoring the one who provides those things for us to begin with.

Linking up with ABC Wednesday