Godly Separation

Separation…. The word naturally conjures up negative emotions for most folks. Separation means saying good-bye, it means losing something, it means being apart from something or someone. But there is something else about separation that can be good for us. In fact, one cliché describes separation as a way to grow fonder of what you can’t see or touch right now, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

It’s been suggested that part of the reason grandparents go bananas with their grandchildren is because they don’t see them all the time. I’m sure most parents would like to try that concept out with their children at times.

So, although separation generally sounds bad, it may have positive attributes to it. Consider the scenes at creation and how God defined what went where. God took something that was formless and void (that has been described as chaotic), and He turned it into something beautiful; something God called “good”.

Day 1 – Separation: Light from darkness
Day 2 – Separation: waters of atmosphere from waters of the ground
Day 3 – Separation: fertile soil from infertile soil
Day 4 – Separation: sunlight from moonlight
Day 5 – Separation: birds and sea creatures “according to their kind”
Day 6 – Separation: land animals “according to their kind”

And He made mankind; a special creation separate from all other created beings, because Adam was made in the image of God. By separating every created element, it actually brought beauty and order to the earth. Our lives aren’t much different; our old self must be separated from the new self in Christ. When we separate the old sinful actions from the new righteous actions, our life becomes more beautiful. Thus order can bring beauty, and order may cause us to have a different emotion. For many folks, order equals consistency, constant, maybe even faithfulness.

Separating the old habits of life from the new ones may require a lot of initial heartache, but if the end result is something beautiful, I think we’d all agree it would be worth it. Let’s continue to make our lives something God would call “good” by living for Christ and loving the way He loved.