I am generally reluctant to come out and say things like "God told me this." God gets the blame for so many things that way, someone hears a voice and assumes it is God who has spoken to them, when in reality it is their own desire that speaks to them. However, a few Sundays ago, the "One Who Knows Me Best" gently reminded me of the need to drop my baggage when entering the sanctuary. (Hmm, Ayekah, I wonder what the Hebrew equivalent to the "One Who Knows Me Best" woud be?) . Here is how the dialogue played itself out. . .
“Where are you going, Annie?I’m going to church, Lord.
And what will you do there, Annie?
I don’t know, Lord. It’s hard for me to go. I am bothered because I don’t feel like I fit in anymore.
But Annie, what will you do there? What do they call this service you are headed to?
Oh, Lord,--you know, I’m going to the worship service.
Oh yes, the worship service. What will you do there, Annie?”
Going to church. It's really not the same as going to worship.
Boy girlie, that's the truth.......you always seem to hit the nail on the head. I have my own opinions on "just going" to show up......since I realized if I am just there to occupy space...well......maybe God would rather I be somewhere else. I know, there can be great debate on that statement.......as I said, that's my personal opinion.
ReplyDeleteAnd I will gladly look into the Hebrew translation for you.....may give that saying "called by a new name" a whole new twist!
Annie, I really needed the post here and the one about the mess. I quit my job yesterday. (see my site for the longer story.) I am really going to be doing some new things, I think.
ReplyDeleteAyekah I do always hit the nail on the head, except when I hit my thumb! I'm waiting for the Hebrew translation to come to you, and remember, no funny business by making up a name that means One Who Loves the Jiggly Lover of Chocolate or something to that effect!
ReplyDeleteCyndi I am sorry to hear about you quitting your job, but also excited for what may come to be for you.
Annie, you know that really was profound. It's how I am trying to live my life now, like the Lord is saying to me, Regina, what will you do there...?
ReplyDeleteI don't think just showing up will cut it anymore for me...
Yeah. That's where I'm at right now.
ReplyDeleteTrying to get us all there again.
Trying to get me there again, to be truthful.
Worship.
Forgot about that.
Regina, glad it gave you something to think about. I think it just takes our mindfulness, being aware that we are there to worship and not (in my case) to moan and groan about how bad you feel for not doing things better.
ReplyDeleteLoretta May you soon get there again. Life, whether it is "good" things happening or "bad" tends to distract us. We realize it and slowly, we get ourselves back on track.
Worship, real worship, isn't what we "do", but a unified flow of our "inner man" connecting with the reality of His Spirit. It comes up from deep inside; and Isaiah 12 says it is "with joy" that we draw from the well of salvation. I'm of the opinion, though, that we can also find it, as Hannah did, in the middle of all that seems against us. Location matters only in the sense of restrictions that others and we, ourselves, add to the attempt. I say all this, not to take anything away from the load you carry right now, Annie, but to note that, in spite of the load, I find within our conversations the witness of worship yet alive within you.......
ReplyDeleteJim It's been a slow turn, moving from "licking my wounds" to worship and praise in the middle of the problems. It is a pleasant surprise, genuine worship in spite of the problems.
ReplyDeleteAnother beautiful post and beautiful pictures.
ReplyDeleteWhat they all said.
Thank you, Spooky... :)
ReplyDeleteTalk about a profound last sentence! Wow...
ReplyDeleteI meant to say this the other day when I first read this piece, but somehow I forgot. To say the least the nail has been hit on the head. As a minister (for lack of a better word for what I do in my church) it is so easy to turn church into a job and forget about worship. No doubt we will get too busy in our live to worship God, but truly that is no excuse. Thanks for my weekly gentle slap upside head.
ReplyDeleteBoy, could we use a dose of that at our church! I know I could. Well, here is the best I can do for a Hebrew translation of "The One who knows me best": yado'a hayodeani [yah-doe-A ha-yo-deh-A-nee]. Yes, the last two syllables sound just like "annie." I had to break out ALL my Hebrew books for this one.
ReplyDeleteIt was pretty profound when I realized that is what the Lord was saying to me, Jules..."ouch" was what I thought.
ReplyDeleteBrother Wade I do sometimes wonder how people who work in the church manage to avoid getting caught up in the "just doing my job" mentality. I guess that is one of the pitfalls of the vocation, huh?
little david Isn't it a good day in church when you realize you have truly worshipped and not just filled a seat?
Wow-- thanks for the Hebrew translation. Isn't that weird how the last two syllables sound like "annie"?
Who knows that you did not have those Hebrew books for just such a time as this?? LOL!
Thanks for the observation, Mordecai (hee-hee). I knew all those books would come in handy some day.
ReplyDelete