Yep, you read that right....
I've been thinking about this allot lately. And about my church and my Faith.
Are you new in your faith? Are you devout and practicing for years? Or are you in spiritual wilderness right now- wanting to find God, but not sure where He is?
Some background on my Faith journey:
I had a VERY Christian/Faith centered childhood. For as long as I can remember, my mom had us go to church with her and we went to Sunday School and I remember enjoying it very much.
My paternal Grandmother brought me to Christ when I was 5 years old.
I enjoyed and went to Pioneer Girls and then youth group in my pre-teens and early teens.
Then I got hit with the reality bus..... my family was not in the strongest financial position as we were growing up. My parents made sure we had a home, food on the table and other basics and they tried very hard to attend to the needs of 4 children. My mother, being a great seamstress, offered to take in used clothing, sort it, wash it and mend what could be saved for donations. In exchange, us kids got to go through the box and pick out a couple of things for ourselves - I thought this was awesome!
I remember being so excited to wear one of these treasured outfits to church. However, this all changed once I got there. A couple of girls kept pointing at me and whispering to eachother (I'm used to this as I have never been a 'traditional' run-of-the-mill person- I like to be me). After the service, one of the mothers came up to me and in front of many others, said, "That was my daughters outfit. Aren't you fortunate to have people like us to pass on our older cloths so you can look so pretty?)
There was also another incident right after but I won't go into it now.
So, at 17 I left the church. Now, I didn't leave God, just going to church. I felt I could enjoy worshiping Him outside, in nature, or 'keep in touch' by praying. From what I had learned in Church and Sunday School, God doesn't take attendance and if you hold His Love in your heart then your good-to-go.
Today, its different - I have found a wonderful church home (I'll fill you in another time on how that came about) and my family and myself are very active within the church, which feels amazing!
There are two things I have been thinking of in the past few months:
point 1: Why is our church going through a change?
I know a big part of this is individual arrogance. Someone gets their feelings hurt or they want to do a certain thing in the church and are asked to do it differently or do something else and they take it personally. It may be that they don't feel entirely welcome, or were asked not to snore so loud the next sermon.
Some people think they can stand over the Pastor, let him know what he's doing wrong and give no idea of how he may be able to fix the issue. Or they criticize the way the leaders run the church and don't help with any ministries in the Church and are then surprised when the Pastor gets 'burned out' or wonder why the rain of the Spirit has seemed to have dried up in the church. They truly do not realize that you get out what you put in! You see, Jesus said, "He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me."
I know ministers fail sometimes. I know they make mistakes. Jesus knew they would too. But, even so, He said, "If you receive them, you receive Me."
If you don't like what the Pastor is preaching, then pray for him! If it is really on your heart to share with the pastor, then talk, don't accuse and criticize. Refuse to let criticism hold back the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
The ministers of the gospel are not your servants, they're God's servants. Whether they're right or whether they're wrong, love them and respect them if for no other reason than to honor the One who sent them.
Likewise, your peers-the congregation church family, are not there to be looked down on, envied, pitied or even to compete with. They are there to offer comfort, love, hope, solace, a shoulder to cry on (sometimes) but most of all, they are there because God put them in your life for a purpose!
In our church we have had a bit of a turnover. You may be surprised by this, but I'm glad! Its like the wheat being separated from the chaff.... Its a fresh beginning, a chance to pull together in our church family and really work to make the church strong and its members stronger!
Now (quickly) on point 2: Where is God leading my personal life?
Forward for sure! It has been a great journey this past 3 years since I've rediscovered my Faith. My family has joined me on this journey. I have a spiritual thirst and I am not shy to ask questions of my spiritual elders, church leaders or to research these questions on my own.
There are times (like now in my business), I need God to show me a blazing bill board on the direction my husband and I should take. But we have faith....
The one thing my husband and I really need to work on is praying together. I don't know why but its easier to undress in broad daylight in front of my husband then to be able to pray with him; we get all shy in front of eachother when we need to pray together, just the two of us. We don't have this problem when we pray in small groups or with others - Its something we have to work on.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, especially if you got all the way to the end! Thank You!
I would welcome any comments (good or bad) on what I have said in this post or any other.
Take care and God Bless!
There was also another incident right after but I won't go into it now.
So, at 17 I left the church. Now, I didn't leave God, just going to church. I felt I could enjoy worshiping Him outside, in nature, or 'keep in touch' by praying. From what I had learned in Church and Sunday School, God doesn't take attendance and if you hold His Love in your heart then your good-to-go.
Today, its different - I have found a wonderful church home (I'll fill you in another time on how that came about) and my family and myself are very active within the church, which feels amazing!
There are two things I have been thinking of in the past few months:
- Why is our Church going through a change
- Where is God leading my personal life?
point 1: Why is our church going through a change?
I know a big part of this is individual arrogance. Someone gets their feelings hurt or they want to do a certain thing in the church and are asked to do it differently or do something else and they take it personally. It may be that they don't feel entirely welcome, or were asked not to snore so loud the next sermon.
Some people think they can stand over the Pastor, let him know what he's doing wrong and give no idea of how he may be able to fix the issue. Or they criticize the way the leaders run the church and don't help with any ministries in the Church and are then surprised when the Pastor gets 'burned out' or wonder why the rain of the Spirit has seemed to have dried up in the church. They truly do not realize that you get out what you put in! You see, Jesus said, "He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me."
I know ministers fail sometimes. I know they make mistakes. Jesus knew they would too. But, even so, He said, "If you receive them, you receive Me."
If you don't like what the Pastor is preaching, then pray for him! If it is really on your heart to share with the pastor, then talk, don't accuse and criticize. Refuse to let criticism hold back the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
The ministers of the gospel are not your servants, they're God's servants. Whether they're right or whether they're wrong, love them and respect them if for no other reason than to honor the One who sent them.
Likewise, your peers-the congregation church family, are not there to be looked down on, envied, pitied or even to compete with. They are there to offer comfort, love, hope, solace, a shoulder to cry on (sometimes) but most of all, they are there because God put them in your life for a purpose!
In our church we have had a bit of a turnover. You may be surprised by this, but I'm glad! Its like the wheat being separated from the chaff.... Its a fresh beginning, a chance to pull together in our church family and really work to make the church strong and its members stronger!
Now (quickly) on point 2: Where is God leading my personal life?
Forward for sure! It has been a great journey this past 3 years since I've rediscovered my Faith. My family has joined me on this journey. I have a spiritual thirst and I am not shy to ask questions of my spiritual elders, church leaders or to research these questions on my own.
There are times (like now in my business), I need God to show me a blazing bill board on the direction my husband and I should take. But we have faith....
The one thing my husband and I really need to work on is praying together. I don't know why but its easier to undress in broad daylight in front of my husband then to be able to pray with him; we get all shy in front of eachother when we need to pray together, just the two of us. We don't have this problem when we pray in small groups or with others - Its something we have to work on.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, especially if you got all the way to the end! Thank You!
I would welcome any comments (good or bad) on what I have said in this post or any other.
Take care and God Bless!
