Getting yourself to church on Sunday mornings always seems to be a hassle. From waking up early, getting dressed and trying to remember everything going on after service, to the actual driving to church and finding a seat before the first song ends (because no matter how hard you try to get to your seat before then, someone you haven't hugged yet walks by). This process automatically becomes more stressful if you’re running late. Sometimes the excuse of “I might as well not go if I’m going to be late” sets in and you struggle if it’s even worth it all.
I was guilty of having this mindset this morning as I got in my car, but I was going with my boyfriend so I knew I couldn’t back out. As we drove, my eyes glanced at the clock and my heartbeat quickened with each minute that ticked on by. When we finally made it into the church building, I heard the worship team finish up a song and we made our way to our usual seats. We looked around for our usual group of friends who attend with us but none of them seemed to be there and we ended up sitting with complete strangers. Now I really wished I skipped.
The worship band started with their next song, No Longer Slaves, and I began to listen. When I started to sing along, the little girl seated in front of us (no older than three years old) started to stare at me. I smiled at her and continued to sing with the band. When the chorus of the song came and the congregation began to sing “I’m no longer a slave of fear, I am a child of God,” the dad picked up his little girl and held her close to him. He stroked her soft light hair as she leaned her head against his shoulder and hugged him with a soft smile.
I couldn’t keep the tears from growing in my eyes. In that moment, I felt like God picked me up and held me like that little girl’s daddy did. My heart became heavy with gratefulness and my head with filled with peace as I continued to sing the song. How could I have been so foolish and selfish to consider skipping out on a God who loves me as his little girl? In that moment, I realized that I came to church that day without the desire to please God as my main purpose in going.
When we do things to only please ourselves and are afraid to make life uncomfortable, we miss out on a lot. As Christians, we are called to live our lives for God, and with that often comes discomfort. For some, this discomfort is waking up early on the weekend or having to sit next to that weird lady at church, but for others its waking up on the other side of the world from their loved ones not knowing if they’ll wake up the next day. I am sure it was a lot harder for the parents sitting in front of me to get not just themselves dressed and to church, but their two children there as well. When it comes down to it, there will always be excuses not to go to church. The question is, what is your reason TO GO?
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10
