The freedom of a de-compartmentalised life

Maybe your life looks a bit like this.

It's an office, each person separated off from the next by partitions, they're all in their own little boxes. The office is compartmentalised. One person's here, doing his stuff, another person's there, doing her stuff. I'm sure it works very well... in an office.

I know that my life used to be like this. I had my "church" life, my "school/college/work" life, my "friends/socialising" life, my "family" life, and I'm sure many others. All in their own little boxes, partitioned off from the others, doing their own stuff. My life was compartmentalised. All separate, and the bits didn't really connect with each other. That was the way I felt safest.

But then it happens...

She's reaching over...

She's made contact, and he's reaching out to her...

And there it goes! So much for separate compartments! What are they thinking?! They've crossed over, they've passed something from one into the next... But, wait... That looks quite important. Yes, that is a serious-looking piece of documentation. You know what, it's probably a good thing that they've reached across the boundary... It might actually really help. I reckon the guy might now be free and able to get on with his stuff a lot better, because of this (controversial? shocking? scary?) handover.

And that's how it is. Sometimes in life, stuff wants to, needs to, or just does cross over, from one compartment to the next. And maybe we didn't want it to, because "church" life and "friends" life, or whatever, are separate, and never the twain shall meet. We probably weren't expecting it, weren't ready for it. But, tough cheese, it's happened.

I finally realised that knocking down the partitions, the boundaries that compartmentalised my life, was something that I simply had to do. And from the moment I did it, I was set free. God told me it was time to "open plan" my life, he helped me to do it, and I've grown more and more in Him, as He has taken deeper and deeper root in my life. You see, opening up my life, one "compartment" into the next, has allowed God the freedom that He desires in my life. It's about giving the Holy Spirit access all areas. And I believe that He has been more and more visible in my life since the day I knocked down the barriers and de-compartmentalised my life.

The de-compartmentalised life is vital to evangelism, to witness. God is now in every relationship I have, He is in just about everything I say and do, He's at the centre, He's in all and through all. And all because I heard and responded to God when He told me to knock down the walls in my life. He told me, He helped me to respond, He helps me obey, He stays. Praise God!

In Darkest Britain and the Way Out

God says,

"... if my people, who are called by name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

(2 Chronicles 7:14)

Matt Redman wrote a song based on this, as well as Isaiah 6 I guess...

"We're looking to Your promise of old,

That if we pray and humble ourselves

You will come and heal our land;

You will come, You will come.

We're looking to the promise You made,

That if we turn and look to Your face

You will come and heal our land;

You will come, You will come

To us.

Lord, send revival, start with me,

For I am one of unclean lips,

And my eyes have seen the King,

Your glory I have glimpsed,

Send revival, start with me."