I grew up somewhat uniquely. In several ways, I grew up living in two worlds.

One big example I like to use is technology. Computers became popular when I was in second grade. However, only the school had them at first. We got a family computer eventually, but we remained analog for a while. I still am analog in some areas. Give me a hard copy of a book over an e-book. I like to feel the book in my hands, and no technology can replace that.

Growing up, I was mainly around people older than I was. At church, we only had a handful of kids. At our store, it was usually adults that came in. I went to school with kids my age, but rarely spent a great deal of time with them outside of school.

Today, the church I attend sings both contemporary songs and hymns. I like contemporary songs, but I still prefer the hymns. I grew up listening to them, and they still have a place in my singing.

With this somewhat odd way of growing up, I gained a perspective that not everybody gets. I can better understand differences in how two “worlds” view things.

Before Christ, we grow up in the world, the selfish, greedy society that has developed as people rebel against God. Accepting Christ puts us into a light. Having been there, we can relate to people who have not accepted His grace. We will still have to travel to them to share the gospel. We are called to be in the world, there isn’t any other place we can go yet, but not of the world. Those selfish desires should not hold sway on us. We know what the world without Christ is like, let’s share what the world with Christ is like.