I may have mentioned this somewhere in the past. When I was young, we’d sometimes pass a Baptist Church on our way to the big city (Oshkosh…🤣). I’d look at it and wonder what kind of weird things happened there — maybe snake-handlin’ and such. Definitely no dancing…although I’m with them there — never cared to dance myself. And my Catholic understanding of “born-again” Christianity didn’t help at all. I love the beauty and solemnity of the Catholic Church but didn’t learn much of Jesus other than what they printed in the missalette…and Sunday School, which I know happened but cannot remember at all.
And here I went to a Catholic high school…
So really. What does it mean to love and worship Jesus? I think a lot of American “Christianity” has turned him into our boyfriend. I can kind of get it…if you’ve got the emotional stature of a teenage girl who thinks Taylor Swift is classical music.
But what of depth? What of true worship? Now the word “true” is doing a lot here — I mean, who’s to say whether someone is worshiping or not? I know from personal experience that near identical situations don’t yield identical results. There are times I’ve listened to a song or sermon and have been absolutely enthralled by it…having heard the same thing before to no effect. I think what constitutes true worship is between you and the Holy Spirit. But there is such a thing, and we would do well to try to discern: am I getting this now because it’s making me feel good or is it really pushing me into honoring and glorifying the object of worship. We should know this. Shallow worship leaves shallow results where you chase a high, and maybe even reject it all when you find you can’t get it back.
Like everyone else, I’ve had my ups and downs. There are times I’m really digging it — reading, listening, understanding — I feel a sharpness and thrill at discovery. And then there are times my mind wanders and I catch myself halfway down a page thinking, “What did he just say?” Wasn’t really paying attention. Honestly, most times when it gets that way, I can’t even force it. We’re human. It happens. But that doesn’t mean we should just give up. We’ll all have those days, but better times are always coming. “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30).
Worship came to my mind this morning because it’s been a mixed bag for me today. My morning reading was kind of so-so — one of those “What did he just say?” days. Then a few hours later as I’m putting on a little background music, I’m drawn into a song that suddenly brings me back into focus.
And so I worship, and it all clicks back into place…
I cannot recommend this song enough. I hope it does for you what it has done for me.