idealism

Being idealistic, at least as I've always understood it, is a somewhat negative quality. Maybe I'm wrong but usually when I hear someone get called idealistic it seems to imply that they are inexperienced with life and unrealistic. In the background is a whisper, "Just wait, time and age will beat some reality into you." Idealism is idealistic because it's young and doesn't know any better.

Maybe it's just me and my view of things, but these implications result in me subtly expecting somewhere in the back of my mind that one day I too will grow up, see the world as it is in it's dirtiness, and let go of my idealism for something a little more realistic.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately; this isn't the way it should be in the Kingdom of God. We're supposed to enter God's Kingdom as children (Matthew 18:3) and are called children of God (John 1:12, Romans 8:16), so wouldn't it follow that if we are children in this Kingdom than shouldn't we have and value youthful qualities such as teachability, humility, trust, faith, unconditional love, and idealism.

Maybe idealism is a quality we should cling to as we get older and something we should ask God to keep fresh in our hearts. Yea, I know everyone grows up. If they're serving God they're going to take a beating along the way, they will get accused of things they never did, they will be hated, and they will see the dirty ugly side of the world. Those serving God will have plenty of opportunity to get the idealism knocked out of them. Last night in Acts class Jerrie said, "When there's opposition you've either made an impact or you're about to."

What are the odds that a person could hold onto idealism under fire? Is it even possible? I have to believe it is. Maybe it's not possible to hold on to it 100% of the time, but maybe like vision it comes back. On this journey with God we'll see a lot of the impossibilities and nastiness of the world, but I think that as we choose to keep following anyway we'll see a lot more of God's power and the beauty He's created. The more we know of God the more idealistic we should get because less and less seems impossible. God keep me idealistic; keep me trusting You.