Raincoats and Hearts

This year, my daughter had to take a Religion class as a prerequisite for some other courses. As a requirement, she was expected to attend a variety of religious institutions over the course of the year. On a recent Sunday, I found myself scurrying from Highpoint’s service to take Annika to her assigned church for the trimester.If you have a teenager, or if you remember being a teenager, you know that it’s not cool for your mother to show up for most events… including a field trip. So, with stealth intentions, I waited in the car during the service. I can’t tell you the last time I sat in a parking lot while a church service was going on, but it provided for some interesting reflection.First, I was amazed at the number of people still trickling in 30 or 40 minutes after the service began. I’m the first to encourage you that some of God is better than none of God. Life happens and sometimes that includes running behind on Sundays. There’s no shame in coming in late on that occasional crazy Sunday. Only the enemy would tell you to stay home.At the same time, I don’t think people realize what they’re missing. If it becomes a habit to show up late, I encourage you with this…[bctt tweet="Some of God is better than none of God. However... "]All of us need to hear from the Lord. All of us need encouragement to not grow weary in doing good. Even if you consistently spend time in God’s Word, after a week of walking in a sin-stained world, it’s the rare person who hasn’t had to put on some protective layers. It’s as if our hearts need to be watered, but each day we put on an additional raincoat to navigate a tough world. When we aren’t able to experience the entire service, it’s like we expect truth to water our heart while we’re still wearing several layers of rain gear. There are so many times when God prepares my heart to hear by peeling away the layers as I worship.Second, it made me think about a recent comment made by a leader of one of Highpoint’s Sunday classes. His class meets during our second service. He said that he often walks into class as first service is ending and prays for the people who are leaving the building. By not getting connected through serving or being part of a group, they accidentally remove two of the primary ways God chooses to minister to His children: through relationships and through the experience of God using them for His purposes.All of us need to be around the people of God to know we’re not alone on this journey. It’s not about missing a song or two, or even the welcome. It’s about partnering with the Lord to give Him every opportunity to show His love to us. I hear the voice of Clyde Cranford saying of someone late to discipleship, “You aren’t wasting my time, you’re wasting God’s time.” This is absolutely true, but the beautiful thing about our God is that He wants to use His time for our good.I encourage you to pray for your Sunday mornings to be distraction-free, and to prioritize making yourself available for God to minister to you in your church each week as we come together to worship Him.