Lessons from the Bench
I cannot tell you how many times God has used my son to teach me valuable lessons in life. He never ceases to amaze me.
Matthew is playing baseball this year. He played TBall last year and did great, he did fantastic at tryouts this year...but now, well.....he's very consistently not doing well. It's not good, I mean it's kind of painful to watch to be honest. I love him dearly, but it seems that it's just not his thing. He's afraid of the ball, that kind of makes playing baseball a little tricky. I'm hoping it's a phase, for instance he used to be absolutely terrified of trees. But time will tell.......
So, we've practiced with him. We've encouraged him. We've prayed with him. And then finally, I said Matthew, Do you want to play baseball? (thinking maybe it was more our idea than his) he said yes. I said because if you don't want to, you don't have to. He said, and I quote, "I can't quit mommy, I'm a part of the team, and the team needs me." Wisdom from the mouth of a 7 year old.
His statement instantly made me think of church and church attendance.
Every time I want to roll over on Sunday and go back to sleep, every time I think my teaching is falling on deaf ears, every time I think I deserve a break, every time I want to complain because no one else will serve, every time I want to give up, I can't quit because..... "I'm part of the team and the team needs me."
Have you quit? We need you.
Maybe just maybe if we as Christians stop trying so hard to fit in with the world, the world will try to fit in with us. Maybe they will take notice. The word "Christian" was first used to describe the people from the church at Antioch...this name was given to them by lost people. They needed a way to distinguish them from others, so they gave them a name. What do they call us today? Or do they even notice that we are different? Have you quit?
One of the reasons we worship corporately is to learn to love each other. There's bound to be disagreements. But, we need each other. We need each other's gifts. We can't quit..we're a part of a team! And, if we do quit...who are we playing for? Clearly not Christ, clearly not to build His kingdom.
He has forgiven us, and saved us from eternal damnation, and we can't even gather together with His people and learn to love and grow. Really? Why?
On a side note, I'm not saying that you have to go to church. But, if you are a believer, and Christ is your Lord...why don't you want to go to church? Why don't you want to serve?
Don't examine your own heart...you can't--YOU are not qualified to do that. We make excuses for our behavior. Ask God, the ultimate judge, to show you your motives. Let Him reveal what's amiss. Maybe you need to forgive someone, maybe you need to swallow some pride, maybe you need to spend sometime on your face before God.
I had to do that eleven years ago. I didn't like church or church people. My life was pure crap, and the church was nowhere to be found. I don't know what I expected them to do. I just had gotten so tired of people telling me they cared and it being a lie. Once I finally found myself in a Bible teaching church and not a social club, I learned that yes perhaps people had let me down, but God never did.
So my question, have you quit? Have you given up?-- We need you.
Matthew is playing baseball this year. He played TBall last year and did great, he did fantastic at tryouts this year...but now, well.....he's very consistently not doing well. It's not good, I mean it's kind of painful to watch to be honest. I love him dearly, but it seems that it's just not his thing. He's afraid of the ball, that kind of makes playing baseball a little tricky. I'm hoping it's a phase, for instance he used to be absolutely terrified of trees. But time will tell.......
So, we've practiced with him. We've encouraged him. We've prayed with him. And then finally, I said Matthew, Do you want to play baseball? (thinking maybe it was more our idea than his) he said yes. I said because if you don't want to, you don't have to. He said, and I quote, "I can't quit mommy, I'm a part of the team, and the team needs me." Wisdom from the mouth of a 7 year old.
His statement instantly made me think of church and church attendance.
Every time I want to roll over on Sunday and go back to sleep, every time I think my teaching is falling on deaf ears, every time I think I deserve a break, every time I want to complain because no one else will serve, every time I want to give up, I can't quit because..... "I'm part of the team and the team needs me."
Have you quit? We need you.
Maybe just maybe if we as Christians stop trying so hard to fit in with the world, the world will try to fit in with us. Maybe they will take notice. The word "Christian" was first used to describe the people from the church at Antioch...this name was given to them by lost people. They needed a way to distinguish them from others, so they gave them a name. What do they call us today? Or do they even notice that we are different? Have you quit?
One of the reasons we worship corporately is to learn to love each other. There's bound to be disagreements. But, we need each other. We need each other's gifts. We can't quit..we're a part of a team! And, if we do quit...who are we playing for? Clearly not Christ, clearly not to build His kingdom.
He has forgiven us, and saved us from eternal damnation, and we can't even gather together with His people and learn to love and grow. Really? Why?
On a side note, I'm not saying that you have to go to church. But, if you are a believer, and Christ is your Lord...why don't you want to go to church? Why don't you want to serve?
Don't examine your own heart...you can't--YOU are not qualified to do that. We make excuses for our behavior. Ask God, the ultimate judge, to show you your motives. Let Him reveal what's amiss. Maybe you need to forgive someone, maybe you need to swallow some pride, maybe you need to spend sometime on your face before God.
I had to do that eleven years ago. I didn't like church or church people. My life was pure crap, and the church was nowhere to be found. I don't know what I expected them to do. I just had gotten so tired of people telling me they cared and it being a lie. Once I finally found myself in a Bible teaching church and not a social club, I learned that yes perhaps people had let me down, but God never did.
So my question, have you quit? Have you given up?-- We need you.
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