E. Lily Yu has noticed something: human beings tend to move with the majority. In doing so, they may make their lives easier, she observes. But, in doing so, they fail to enjoy deeper, better lives, and miss out on deeper, better thoughts.
In a recent interview at CT, Yu spoke with Karen Swallow Prior about Break, Blow, Burn, and Make: A Writer’s Thoughts on Creation, Yu’s latest book. She and Prior consider what it looks like to live with deep faith, strong character, and integrity—not for the sake of standing out as nonconformists, but because of the importance of obedience to the call of Christ.
Heeding this call prompts Christians toward more nuanced thinking that may lead them away from the majority opinion. Perhaps counterintuitively, in following Jesus, we may find ourselves less popular but more firmly rooted in community as we discover that, as Yu says, “the body of Christ is called to work toward a single higher purpose, for which we are all in harmony but not in unison.”
As we consider what it looks like to pursue depth and goodness in this life, may we do so with pure hearts and great love for God and others.
