Holy Indifference

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
—Philippians 1:27

Whatever.
As a child of the 90s, this was the preferred word of teenage coolness. Whatever was the appropriately snarky response to disappointment, to being told what to do, or really just a deflection of anything that might make a 15-year-old feel actual emotions.

But as an adult, there are times when whatever is exhaled under my breath as well. Like those moments years ago when my 10-year-old would refuse to wear a jacket in the winter. You know what? This battle isn’t worth it. I tried. Go ahead and freeze your tiny little butt off, you punk. Whatever.

Despite that incredible display of parenting, I’ve actually been thinking about the positives of a whatever attitude. At its core, whatever is an embracing of the truth that we don’t have ultimate control over life or people.

I’m thinking about it because of a concept that was brought up at our Sunday gathering. My friend (and one of our other pastors), Duane, was teaching, encouraging us to embrace the transforming gift of silence and solitude with Jesus.

As we talked about the challenge of expecting BIG outcomes all the time, he encouraged us to embrace a concept that came originally from Ignatius of Loyola (founder of the Jesuits in the 1500s). It’s called "holy indifference."

Holy indifference is about releasing the need for results. It’s about trusting the Spirit.
This idea is really helpful to free us from the constant expectation of dramatic outcomes. Instead, we can simply be open to whatever God brings in those moments.

This old Christian concept goes well beyond silence and solitude. At its core, Ignatius taught that holy indifference was how we could practice healthy detachment so that we could follow God’s will in each moment. When we are able to take life as it comes without the need to control, then we can be more focused on moment-to-moment Christlikeness, and less stuck on each unique circumstance.

Ignatius believed that when a heart was captured by God’s love, and an identity was deeply rooted in relationship with God and the way of life in God’s kingdom—then a person could finally experience freedom.

Freedom from needing life to go in a certain way.
Freedom from requiring certain spiritual outcomes all the time.
Freedom from needing people or situations to go exactly like we want.
Freedom from external ways of defining success that look nothing like Jesus.

It’s about how we view good things and bad things, and how we let our lives be controlled by successes or failures. It’s about releasing all attachments—to outcomes, to success, to riches, to achievements, and to our constant need for measurable results.

There are many ways that holy indifference might be valuable to us right now.

This is not the same as basic indifference. It’s not about apathy or laziness. It’s about trust and openness to whatever God (and life!) brings our way. It’s where we learn to respond to unexpected situations with grace and a continued focus on God’s will beyond our thin definitions of the good life.

I think this was the sort of whatever that Paul was encouraging the Philippian church to embrace. Whatever twists and turns life takes, your calling remains the same. It’s not about forcing outcomes… it’s about living in the grace and love of Jesus during each of life’s unpredictable seasons.

Holy indifference doesn’t stop me from caring about people or becoming complacent to harm and injustice around me. On the contrary, holy indifference gives me the energy to keep living the compassion of Jesus when it feels like things aren’t changing. It makes me trust and look for what God’s heart is in each unique moment.

Do I see attitudes of fear and hatred all over national headlines that make me want to crawl in a hole?
Whatever. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the good news.

Did I lose my job and my future feels completely up in the air, and I'm wondering where God is? 
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the good news.

When we are rooted in Christ, no circumstance is significant enough to derail our hope and trust in God’s good character and God’s good work. We can act faithfully without the need to see results or have everything figured out, because we have encountered a love that transcends all of it.

Friends, our job was never to define how God will work. Jesus gave us a love to receive, and a way of life to embrace. And whatever happens, we are told to continue living in that grace-filled relationship, and to continue loving others in humility. May your holy indifference this week lead you to greater peace and trust in Jesus.

Jesus, lead me beyond my need for control or results this week.

Peace,
Keith