I go to a great church here in Sioux Falls. I love that they spend a lot of time putting together different series that last several weeks. Currently, we are on the series of the covenant with our church. It has been interesting to learn more about that word and what it means to participate in a place of worship. No matter what your beliefs are, I think we can all do better at understanding that membership doesn’t mean squat. The important thing is that we spend time developing our relationship with those around us. This is what a church should be.
I was raised Catholic and I don’t ever recall hearing that message during mass, or even during CCD. I had a strong belief for many years that my belonging to a church was the most important thing. My membership was critical – I had to get the specific tithing envelopes – I had to sit in my spot every week. It has been nice getting beyond those types of rules.
Sorry, I’m wandering a bit here, but I wanted to set the stage. As part of the covenant series, Pastor Keith has been talking a lot about how we listen to God. Again, regardless of your belief, the intent behind a higher power is to walk beside us through life. I’m sure we have all read that poem called Footsteps. Well, it can be impossible to communicate with that higher power when all we do is run around in circles trying to check stuff of our lists.
I love lists. That is common knowledge. That said, I do find myself devoting my time to that list. I rarely spend time in silence, doing nothing. I’ve been in desperate need of some time with God this past year. It was very eye opening for me to hear Pastor Keith talk about how important it is to have those “still water” moments. It is during that time that you can let your mind work its magic.
How many of us come up with great solutions to problems when we stop for a couple of minutes during our busy day to use the restroom? Maybe that great solution didn’t come from us, maybe it came through a higher power. And, us just slowing down for that small minute of quiet allowed that higher power to communicate with us?
I’m going to work hard to find more of those “still water” moments in my life. Hopefully I don’t have to spend a lot of time in the bathroom to find them!
This Saturday’s Recipes by The Pioneer Woman
5 years ago
You really hit it on the head with this post. It made me realize that you are right about the quiet time. Seems like all of my solutions for work do come to me when I am at home, getting ready to fall asleep at night. I only wish I could convince the higher ups at work that some mandatory quiet time is necessary to succeed.
ReplyDeleteI also giggled when you mentioned having to sit in the same spot at church growing up. You are right, we never heard messages like this at mass.