You know it's been awhile since you did something on your computer when it asks you to sign back in. That was the case with Blogging... yeesh...ouch. It wasn't that I had plenty to say (as if,) but rather a lack of time to put it into any coherent thought pattern in which someone could understand what I was trying to say.
More than likely, the combination of Dayquil, Nyquil and Mucinex DM was to blame. I think between my youngest and myself, we completely ran the house out of kleenex, Lysol, toilet paper (when we ran out of Kleenex!) and Vicks Vapor Rub. By the way, my son thinks the rub is Myrrh from the wise men. He also told his preschool teacher that you can buy Myrrh in Nevada. Sometimes I wonder what he learns about in school. Hmmmmmm....
Anyhoo, my head is clear as a whistle and I'm all fired up. What's new? :)
I even met my goal of writing this week...albeit it was a tad late and I'd like to be doing more but I have to eat that elephant one bite at a time.
But, I'm sure, as you are reading this (which means you are scanning FB unless you "join this site" on the right hand side to receive my posts in your inbox... I highly recommend ESPECIALLY if you were hoping to spend less time on FB in 2013!) Anyhoo.... AGAIN.... if you are reading this on FB then you have probably enjoyed reading everyone's resolutions. My husband must have whittled off 5 appointments that he had been putting off all of last year... in the first four days of January alone!
Ahhh yes, the gym parking lots were maxed out again, vitamins and weight watcher entrees were on sale at Costco and I'm sure daily devotionals were flying off the bookshelves at the local book stores.
Sadly, maybe not the last one. Isn't it amazing that we will spend hours and hundreds of dollars on getting our bodies healthy, back into ship-shape (after a full 5 weeks of gluttony, no less) but not invest in our souls? I'm not saying it's one or the other... but I'm certainly challenging you to look at how you prioritize your goals and resolutions this year. Yes, of course, I've committed to trying to wipe Gluten out of my diet...and I'm doing it with the full faith that my body will feel better and I will no longer suffer from what seems to be unexplained exhaustion on a daily basis. But it can't just be about my body. It can't just be about my diet and exercise. It can't just even be about my health AND trying to stop watching trashy shows or reading social magazines (lol... AS IF I had time for either of those.)
The point is, our souls are starving. It's why America is so funny at the beginning of the year... resolutions... go...go...go.... ahhhh...stink...fall off the wagon...darn...try again next year.
The truth is that our mind, body and soul are connected... and treating one while letting the others suffer is like putting a bandaid on your stomach for a stomach ache. While my example may be preposterous, throwing yourself into a bunch of new habits without finding an anchor for your soul and mind is setting yourself up for the winds of life to blow you around.
I've said it before...(time and time again)...we were not meant to walk this earth alone. You were created by God... quite frankly... for God so he could enjoy fellowship with you. God wanted to hang out with you! He designed you, with all of your quirks, traits and "you-isms!" And he LOVES you.
But he also gave you free will. After all, what fun is it to invite a friend over who just sits there and does everything you want to do without offering up any different opinion or personality? (My oldest would think that ROCKS at first...but after about 45 minutes... having a wet noodle for a friend is no fun.) So, we can choose to tap into the one who created us...or, slough it off. It's up to you.
Ahhh.... but there is a catch... we can't just dial God and Facetime him...or Skype him. We can't walk upstairs to our room and ask him for a hug, or cry on his shoulder. That intangible essence of him is troubling sometimes, isn't it? Sure, if we believe in God and accept the fact that he sent his son to abolish all of the laws in the old testament...that he lived a perfect life and died for our sins and then rose again to Heaven.... if we believe that... and believe that Jesus was in fact, the Savior for our lives...then we DO get to meet him face to face when we graduate into Heaven.
But truth be told? I need a little help down here please!
I have nearly naked women on commercials while my 9 year old is trying to watch a college Bowl game.
I have citizens in my state passing laws to make it legal to smoke weed. Dude!
I have a calendar each week that looks like my mom, my aunt and my 2 grandma's combined.
I can text, tweet, post, poke and more, yet most moms I know are like me and feel isolated in this thing called "life."
So God, how do you propose I work on my mind and soul?
Allright, God was unavailable for comment at the time this article was written. He did, however, leave instructions for me to forward along. They are so simple, but I want to break them out into a few posts so I'll leave you with just one for today:
1. GET TO CHURCH. Get in HIS house. THIS SUNDAY.
Why?
Okay, to sass this up a bit...why not? You have nothing to lose.
Except... maybe... all the junk you've been carrying around with you. And, I'll admit...that can be pretty scary... because we clutch onto rationalization, "gray area" and justification like a friggin security blanket. Problem is, it's not a security blanket... it's a set of handcuffs holding you back from being free to do what you were created to do.....
THRIVE!
Look. You aren't going to church to impress me, impress others or even impress God. He's going to love you the same, REGARDLESS. But, there is power, protection and equipping that you will receive when you can get with a bunch of other people, headed the same direction and listening to the word of God. Find yourself a bible-based church and just go. I double-dog-dare you to go.
Because friend, if this "I can do it myself" thing was working, publishing houses that churned out "self-help" titles would go out of business. Last time I checked, they had a pretty healthy row of options at the Barnes & Noble.
Okay, still not convinced? Chew on this...
Matthew 18:20 / Amplified Bible (AMP)
20 "For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I Am in the midst of them."
You see, when we visit the house of God, we are guaranteed to be in his presence.
Colossians 3:16 / English Standard Version (ESV)
16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
We are living creatures who need daily food to survive. (I admit, there are times I WISH I could survive off the dew of the earth like the Great Dragon Warrior, but I can't make it more than 8 hours.) The food is for our body, as a machine, but not for our soul. Yet, our souls need daily food. The great news is that we were wired to plug in, connect and receive from our Creator!
ONE PROBLEM
Very few of us really capture what church is for. Church does not save you from going to hell nor does it guarantee you into Heaven. Church is not a place you go to "be seen" doing your good deed for the day. Church is to:
- Gather with people who believe in God, strengthening your faith by association and time with like-minded people
- Be satisfied, built-up and fed by hearing the Word of God (The Bible)
- Pour yourself into the lives of others... loving your neighbor as yourself
- Be resourced for the period of time you are not in the House of God
This last one is really critical because as I've mentioned before, let's face it...life looks pretty different Monday thru Saturday for a lot of us. I mean, if you want to live to God's fullest potential for your life- you are a salmon swimming upstream in a river full of hungry bears! In my opinion, church is as essential as an extra change of clothes for your potty-training kiddo on a long car ride or gas in your SUV... you just aren't making it much of anywhere without the two!
One last bit of totally unsolicited advice here and then I'll wrap it up:
If you don't find yourself totally satisfied from church...shop for a new one. Now, hear me out on this. I'm not saying that you need to become some ultra-demanding attendee at whatever church you go to. Don't let me see you "rating" the sermons or filling out comment cards that the color of their carpet is soooo 80's. (Maybe if you dropped something in the offering bucket they'd be able to update that, eh?)
Because church isn't a "show" or performance. You are a member, you are not there just to "receive." It's not "DANCE, MONKEY (Pastor), DANCE!" No. What I mean is that you should leave your service having spent time with God.... church isn't just about rituals... its about an encounter with the living God... a changed heart, not just a head lesson... we can get "head" knowledge from the internet or books.... but we can be changed from the inside out when we gather with others in the presence of God. Church should encourage, bring hope, joy, grace and mercy to your heart and spirit!
So, it really doesn't matter how you were raised, if you were raised in a particular church or faith... if you don't feel like your soul is getting fed. I am sad for the many I know who attend a church because it's "the one they grew up with." But, they will be the first to miss church if their child has a sniffle on Tuesday morning.... or if they want to catch a yoga class.
Hey, trust me guys, when my husband first made a push to go to church, we simply picked the one down the street from us. (Believe you me, he did NOT talk about this during the courtship process!!! I started going to church with him because I was still fresh off the honeymoon and all Innnnnn Luuuuhhhuuuvvvvv but in my heart I had no desire.) We went for about 4 months but honestly, I would make up ANY excuse to stay at home and miss it. When we visited another church (mostly to appease my new friend who wouldn't stop inviting us) we drove 25 minutes to this church and have rarely missed a service in the 5 1/2 years we have been there. What a world of difference the right church makes!
And... the good news... you'll know. You will just know when a church is right for you. I think God makes that really clear.... he doesn't like to play hide and seek with your heart.
Hey, I'd love to hear how church service has changed your life or even your perspective. "Join" the site on the right to post comments and you'll get my posts directly in your inbox to read at your leisure in the future!
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