Standing in Two Worlds
By: Scott Tolhurst
It is said that you can’t be in two places at one time. I once tried to prove the adage wrong. While my wife, dog and home was in White Rock, I pastored a church in Regina for a year. I commuted between my two worlds and Westjet stocks soared. I confess that the balancing act was confusing and hard. At times I awoke unsure of which time zone I was in. I would see a familiar face and do a brain google, not just for their name but for their context - “Is this a BC or SK face?” I did discover one unchangeable marker. If it was raining, I was home. If it was sunny, I was at work.
Perhaps you have never commuted long distance or maybe have lived one place all your life. But the astute readers will recognize a theme for their own soul. Every believer lives in two worlds. We have an address where our mail goes, a home for family and a town we come from. But we’re also citizens with a celestial address. We are exhorted to keep our eyes on our heavenly location even as we live below. We can’t physically commute between our two worlds (too bad!) so our souls are stretched to juggle both realities at once. The duality of our hearts is our biggest challenge. I’ve had time in airports to reflect on this - so here are some commuting insights that may help us live in two places at once.
Both places are a gift from God. White Rock and Regina, heaven and earth - all are locations of Divine love. So, one is not “better” than the other. Each has something to offer us. Ignoring one for the other is not wisdom. You may long for heaven, but your neighbourhood, workplace and community are marked by God’s presence. He lives with us regardless of where we are.
Both places call for our attention. It didn’t work well if I was in BC and my head was occupied with Regina and vice versa! We ought to attend to the place of our being. “Too earthly minded to be any heavenly good. Too heavenly minded to be any earthy good.” Both can be true.
Both places bless the other. Our two worlds are not segmented. Jesus knew how to live on earth while aligned with heavenly reality. It is heaven that blesses earth and earth blesses heaven. So with two eyes, two ears, two hands and two legs; we watch, listen, serve and stand in both.
God is the nexus of all places. Eventually I realized that the resolve to being pulled in two directions is this. Rather than focusing on location - the place I am or the place I miss - I should re-align my vision on God. He is in every place and every place is in Him. White Rock, Regina or Abbotsford - I am at home in Him.