The Conservative Instinct

Careful now

Last week, on a stroll around our housing estate in the golden evening sun with our smallies zooming around on their bikes, we came across a newly erected planning application outside a highly controversial building. This monolithic structure at the end of our road was initially promised to the residents as a tiny creche, but somehow morphed into a large apartment block. Much to the dismay of the estate residents, it seems to have quietly expanded further into the shared green space every time we look at it.

It’s caused quite a stir in the neighbourhood, and there may be good reasons for this particular round of inevitable objections, but my husband and I had a chuckle as we imagined the type of person who sees one of these signs, frowns and tuts crosses their arms, and goes home in a stink to write a furious objection letter. Not necessarily because there’s anything wrong with the proposed change, but simply because they just don’t like change.

It made me think of that particular human characteristic. The resistance to change. The conservative instinct to hold on for dear life to the things that feel familiar and safe. But it struck me that the instinct to preserve at all costs can sometimes run counter to the Biblical story. Because the Biblical story doesn’t end with preservation, it ends with a complete transformation.

God is not preserving the old world. He’s making all things new.

In the meantime, every generation inherits a particular culture and civilisation, and there is real wisdom in first having gratitude for what we receive, and then discerning which things should be preserved, the things that are good, beautiful and true, and truly bless people, but then not being afraid to make something new, or let go of something that should stay in the past.

Each generation can build and develop and use the things that have been passed down to them, for the betterment of our lives now and the generations coming after us. In the garden of Eden, God gave the whole earth to the human race, to develop and cultivate. This means taking the raw materials God has given us and making something with them. He made cows, we invented ice-cream. He made metal, we invented cars. He made trees, we invented paper. All of creation is given to use well and pass on. We’re temporary stewards.

But when the conservative instinct begins to cling on to the past for dear life, we can miss the big picture, the sweeping direction of this big story that we live in the middle of. God is not preserving the world like a museum, he’s going to make a completely brand new heavens and earth.

The planning signs for the new world are already up, and God doesn’t need need permission.

“Behold, I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:5