Escape or Engage

In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men . . . I was cupbearer to the King (Nehemiah 1:1, 11b).

On Mondays I leave the house early to get to church for a 7:00 men’s Bible study. Two left turn lanes funnel traffic from the south Marietta loop to I-75 southbound to Atlanta. Typically I avoid this route, but the early hour on Mondays usually works in my favor. While waiting for the green arrow that will allow me to take my place in the stampeding herd, I strain to look over the bridge railing to the south. In the early morning darkness red taillights provide an indicator of what awaits me. When the glowing red is well spaced and moving swiftly, that’s a good sign. Thick red that creeps like sludge means I should have gone another way.

Funny thing about the morning commute: thousands of people get up every day and make their way into the city . . . for the purpose of being able to avoid the city. The work that brings them into the city makes it possible for them to create a citadel to which they will escape at day’s end. The fortress they take refuge in may be a gated apartment complex, a home surrounded by spiked wrought iron, or a house on a quiet street with garage doors that can be opened safely from the car and closed upon entering the citadel . . . uh, house. Of course, there is nothing wrong with pursuing the American dream. But in the pursuit we may one day discover that we’re actually running from something; running from the God who pursues us and wants to use us in the world.

The thing that draws those thousands of taillights onto I-75 every morning was something that Nehemiah had obtained. Nehemiah had a comfortable place and a respectable position. As his story opens, he is in the Citadel of Susa. Susa was the winter residence of the King of Persia. There in the fortress Nehemiah was highly trusted as the King’s cupbearer. This position meant that Nehemiah was more than a royal official; he was intimately acquainted with the King’s household, practically a member of the family. Who could ask for more? A comfortable dwelling (citadel) and a prestigious job (cupbearer) – millions chase that dream every day.

And who would ever want to leave that kind arrangement for the poverty and rubble of a wrecked city like Jerusalem? We work hard to protect ourselves from poverty and trash. But here’s the thing: You can’t put your arms around the city if you won’t leave the citadel. Every day we are confronted with a choice about how we’ll live life. The direction of our life’s energies will be aimed either at escape or engagement. You can work hard to escape the brokenness and shield yourself from it, or you can work hard to engage the brokenness and bring about transformation.

How are you living life today? Did God put you here and place his gifts in your life so that you can hunker down in your citadel, collecting comforts, distancing yourself from pain? Nehemiah, highly esteemed and very comfortable, ached to get back to the shattered remains of Jerusalem. What are you aching to do with your life? Where does God want to use you today?

Prayer:
Gracious God, send me into the world today intent on engaging those you love, ready to bring your grace wherever it is needed. Don’t let my energies be spent avoiding what you are doing in the city around me. Give me courage to step outside the gates of the fortresses I’ve so carefully built, and help me to put my arms around the city. Amen.