Sometimes an author puts spiritual things into writing so well that you just have to share it. A.W. Tozer shares a great metaphor for how the Christian interacts with the world. As a kid from the city, I can relate.

A farm boy comes to the city and acts different because he belongs on the farm. The city boy goes to the country and acts different because he belongs in the city. The man who has not been on a farm walks around gingerly, trying to keep out of the mud and keep his shoes from being soiled. He is acting like a city man on the farm. As Christians we ought to act this way.

A.W. Tozer, The Crucified Life

Have you ever heard that Christians ought to be happy to be awkward in this world? Tozer is 100% right. We don’t belong here.

God has brought us out of the domain of darkness and into His Son’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13). We no longer have partnership with darkness and lawlessness (II Corinthians 6:14). God calls us to come out from the world and be separate (II Corinthians 6:17).

In this world we are just passing through as sojourners and exiles (I Peter 2:11). We’ve given up friendship with the world in order to have God as our friend (James 4:4).

We follow the man who was rejected by this world, but has also overcome it (Acts 4:11, John 1:16:33). Why, then, do we make every effort to fit in to this place? Why do we try to master its rules and long for its trophies? Why do we strive for its recognition? Why do we scramble for its security? Why do we scrutinize our lives by its weights and measures?

Tozer goes on to describe a goose ambling around on the ground. The goose waddles and stumbles in hilarious ways because the ground is not his natural habitat. As awkward as the wobbly goose may be on the grass, have you seen a goose in flight?

Geese can fly over 1,000 miles in a single day. They glide with wind currents. They come together in formations to extend their flights and help the weaker ones go further. They are majestic in the sky… it’s where they belong.

We belong in the place prepared for us by Jesus. Christians long for the day when they will step into that kingdom by sight and not merely on faith. We set our minds on the things above. As a result, life on this planet should feel foreign. We tread carefully because we don’t want to soil the garments that were washed so carefully and lovingly by the blood of Christ. We seem strange to the world… or at least we should.

Let’s take encouragement in the idea that awkwardness in the world is a welcome sign that we’re just not home yet. Let’s take some warning if this world has become just a bit too cozy for us. You belong in the world above.