There’s a bit of uneasiness in the Smallwood house right now. Okay, let’s call it tension. Our oldest is graduating this weekend and will be starting college at Texas Tech University (Wreck ‘Em!) this fall. This is a testing time for moms and dads. There are days when the thought of him moving out and being on his own is overwhelming and brings tears with the blink of an eye. But there are other days when it is quite apparent it is really time for him to go. In fact, days when I’m ready to help him pack! I think it’s God’s way of preparing parents and children for a natural separation that is to occur. We live in this state of tension of not wanting him to go but also not wanting a failure to launch.

This is not the only place I find myself living in tension. Leading a church with a heart to reach those who have no connection to God generates opposing pulls. There are those who have a long history with church and its practices and those are relatively new with no previous experience of church programming. Those who have been habitually churched most of their life (including me) tend to see things through the lens of how things have always been done. While those who have no church experience tend to view things through a very different lens that includes more of a blank slate.  I think it’s God’s way of making the church labor to find the balance between the two. We live in this state of tension between the church being deep and wide. Conceivably, it’s not either/or but both/and.

We are tempted to buy into the myth that tension is bad. We are taught we should avoid tension and when it rears its ugly head we should work to resolve it as soon as possible. But what if tension is actually good?

Jesus never avoided tension. He did just the opposite. He led his disciples right into the middle of some of the most apprehensive, nail-biting situations imaginable to stretch their faith. No wonder they were ready to confront a broken world with a message of restoration and redemption after He left them. For three years, Jesus used tension to deepen their message and anchor their hearts to discoveries about God and themselves.

Tension is good.  Think about it:

• Tension between the branches of a government creates a needed system of checks and balances.
• Tension in science can lead to remarkable insights and discoveries.
• Tension in a family provides an opportunity to demonstrate commitment and unconditional love.
• Tension within a team pushes them to better perspectives and deeper relationships.

So, don’t avoid tension. Embrace it. Invite it. Pursue it if necessary. If you avoid tension, you are potentially robbing yourself of some defining moments that shape your character, stretch your faith, and clarify some powerful insights. Tension is good!