Somewhere along the way we’ve nailed Jesus to a felt board in a Sunday school room and left Him there. Somehow we started equating a “good” relationship with God to making sure we’re seen doing the motions while decked in our Sunday best.
Who gets up earlier to read their Bible and for how long has become a bizarre competition amongst believers. The conversation has begun to feel a little something like this:
“Errm…I get up at 6 a.m. to do my quiet time, usually for about thirty minutes, forty-five if the baby doesn’t wake up!”
“Oh, how cute, well I wake up at 2:30 every morning and study anywhere from 7 to 10 hours, sometimes I’ll even read the entire Bible through in a day. I’m also an hour early to church every Sunday, my children’s outfits are color-coordinating, their socks match and they sit up straight without making a peep. Did I mention we attend both services? Then my body splits in half and I work in the nursery while simultaneously singing in the choir. Lunch is cooked and on my husband’s plate by the time we get home and I pray until we leave for Sunday night service.”
And truly, I’m sorry for the snarky tone, but it genuinely saddens my heart how far we have fallen from how sweet it is just to be in the presence of Jesus. When did quiet time and church become a way to outperform our brothers and sisters?
We’ve made it something that it was never supposed to be. It was never supposed to be about an attendance record. It was never supposed to be about the latest and greatest fashion. It was never supposed to be a race to see who loved Jesus more. It was never supposed to be a contest.
In fact, Matthew 6 explicitly speaks against this behavior.
…then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
So, to the mama who is struggling to tackle Sunday mornings by herself, who’s doing good just to get everybody in the car, nobody matches, teeth may or may not be brushed, and the toddler’s shoes got left behind. The one who is celebrating just making it through the door before worship is over – the Father sees what you are doing in secret.
To the now ex-husband who is left to pick up the pieces, who is learning how to trust the Lord again. Whether you’re opening your Bible for five minutes or fifty, He sees you and He’s so proud of you. He’s excited to show you His heart again.
To the grandparents who have found themselves raising little ones again, in a whirlwind season that feels so heavy, your plate is full and it’s okay that you can’t make it to choir practice right now. Protecting and providing for those grandbabies is your ministry.
To the one living in the wake of fresh tragedy – be it death, diagnosis, or divorce – maybe quiet time with Jesus looks more like just trying to force air over your vocal cords to push His name through taut, quivering lips. Desperate for the sweetness of His name to wash away the salt that tears have left behind.
The bondage of box-checking is a dangerous thing that threatens the very essence of a relationship with Jesus. Being His hands and feet should be a response to loving Him and being loved by Him, not a race to the top of some social spectacle.
We may be in different seasons, but there is no such thing as spiritual superiority. We’re all filthy sinners and hurting people in need of the same perfect Savior.
Praise Him and serve Him the best you can and with everything you have no matter if that looks like being part of every ministry the church has to offer or blessing His name over and over until you have the strength to stand up out of bed.
