Spiritual Merry-Go-Round

For about the past 7 years I’ve lived “going thru the motions” when it came to church and God in general. I was coming to church every week for a few Sundays then going back to not going at all. Just showing up listening to a sermon, singing songs…but was I getting anything out of it? If I had to be honest…I wasn’t! For years I was a good little church girl, the door was open, there I was. Every trip, everything I was in attendance. I’d come home with this spiritual high hoping for more but soon there I was back settling for the same old routine. Sure I went every week but was I really learning anything more?

I think all too often we get in a habit of showing up and going thru the motions; Sunday school, worship, offering, sermon, prayer… all of it becomes more of a show than what you are actually there for. Are we going to church because we want to study the Word, or are we there because parents, grandparents, friends want us to be there? Are we there because we want to KNOW God or are we there because we were raised that all good little Christians must go to church on Sundays? I know as a teenager it almost became more of a social event than a learning experience. And for the past several though I trust God & pray, I haven’t spent much time in the Word. And because of the ‘merry-go-round’ the whole concept of organized religion became this thing that was no good. And because going thru the motions wasn’t working anymore my relationship with God suffered because you need the fellowship with others because they are there to build you up.

I wasn’t until about two weeks ago when the Lord intervened. The message was LOUD & CLEAR! One of my best friends attended a new church and then asked me to visit with her, I was open to the idea but I wasn’t ready just yet. We were at lunch that afternoon when we were talking about going to visit the next week. A couple came in and sat next to us, and soon the women interrupted the conversation and told us a story. Then stated that she and her husband were care pastors at a church, the same church we had been talking about. We hadn’t mention that church at all the whole time that they were sitting by us and that is when we knew that God was trying to talk to us. We knew that there was a message and a reason for all of this. I was feeling the crazy spiritual high, and not from a conference engineered to pump you up and Christ, no by Christ himself! I had been spending more time just listening to worship music and on The Good Woman Project. T started to see the helpful post on there and the other sites they recommended about dealing with pornography and sexual sin. I knew I needed help. I went to church that Sunday and they talked about addition it hit me like a ton of bricks and the tears started to flow. It was then that church became meaningful, I felt God. I knew he was using that day to speak to me. And I know that if open my heart he will continue to speak to me. I know I have a purpose in this world I just have to let God use me.

So I guess what my point is that If you are just going thru the motions pray about it, maybe you are in the wrong place or maybe you just need to listen to Him but until you try you will never know!