In 2 Timothy 2:3-4, Paul tells Timothy:

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

What does it mean to be entangled in the affairs of everyday life? I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately, and I’m not sure I’ve figured it out yet.

I’m sure it means more than simply “don’t sin”. While sin entangles, I think Paul is saying here that we can be entangled in daily life even when what we are doing is morally acceptable.

What makes this tricky is that over the last couple of years God has convicted me of being emotionally disengaged from everyday life. He’s pushed me to think of my secular job as being part of His calling for me and to care more about succeeding at it. He’s drawing me to pray more as I prepare classes, to ask His blessing on my students’ attitudes and understanding.

But now here is this verse which seems to say, Don’t get too emotionally entangled in everyday life, or you’ll forget your spiritual calling. So I’m trying to work out the balance between emotional disengagement from life and entanglement in it.

(More about entanglements, here)