Get Outta the Box- Strecth Your Oikos

My wife and I use to live in a fifteen foot by thirty-foot house with our two year old in the Rain Forest in Honduras. To say it was cramped quarters would be the understatement of the century! The three of us in that tiny space was bad enough, but having to share it with the cockroaches, lizards, and other various rodents, was a bit much. The good thing about it though was that it forced us outside. Even though the temperatures in the summer reached well over a hundred degrees, we daily ventured out to work and play. I mean after all, who wants to stay in a sweatbox with lizards?

Every morning it was great to step outside and just stretch. It was an exhilarating experience to go from the confined space of that tiny house, to an open, panoramic landscape that seemed to stretch out into eternity. It was unfathomable.

To truly experience life; to genuinely live life to the fullest, we have to get out of our tiny mindsets and stretch ourselves. Reading a book helps, but engaging in a new situation or social sect is priceless. Isn’t it interesting that that is exactly what made the Gospel message spread? You can read in Acts. All the Christians were hanging out in Jerusalem. God had to allow persecution to come their way so they would scatter across the country and into other lands. That very persecution was the driving force behind the message of Christ reaching far away places so quickly. They just needed to get out of their boxes, and stretch their oikos.

Oikos is an Ancient Greek term, for family or sphere of influence. Those people that we feel so close to and comfortable with. We all have relationships that fit us like an old recliner. They’re awesome. We jones for them while we are at work, and we think about them when we’re separated. And that’s awesome. However, we’re not really stretching our arms. We’re not stepping out into the heat of the sun and encountering new people and situations. If we really desire to live an adventurous life, then eventually you have to disengage yourself from the familiar recliner and actually entertain the thought of sitting down in a different type of chair. No I don’t mean you have to leave those that you are the closest to, or the most comfortable with. However, I am saying that there comes a time when we need to spread our love and gifts with others besides just those that already know us.

When was the last time you shared the love of Christ with someone at the grocery store? How about pulling over to help a stranded person on the side of the road? When did you think to clothe a homeless person? Have you in the last week paid someone else’s debt? I know those all sound a bit far fetched, but really, isn’t that a valid part of this ‘following Christ’ walk? I think it’s time for everybody in Desoto County to take a hike! Or actually take a walk. Let’s get out of our comfort zones and walk through our communities. Stretching our arms in the wide open spaces and begin expanding our oikos. Who knows, we might just make this a better place to live.