Running With Perseverence
Tonight I visited a friend’s temple to observe how Hare Krishnas celebrate a holiday. They pretty much do it up right. There was some chanting/prayer, a lecture, meditation time, and lots of food to wrap up the evening. Though it was interesting to observe the different customs, it was a pretty long event.
Into the third hour, I found that I was getting a bit bored and it was harder to stay focused on God. My mind wandered: “Father, please help me to love all my co-workers…I need to remember to make a dentist appointment tomorrow… Did I pay my electric bill this month?”
Though I was fading, people around me were jumping and clapping and singing. It was quite impressive really, and I watched them with some envy. I’m not used to such extended worship; church services are only an hour and a half, quiet times (when existent) even shorter, and I’m lucky to find barely 5 minutes in the morning to sing a praise song before work. In Christian-life-as-race metaphor, I am out of shape to run the course!
I realized tonight that my current devotional life is a series of sporadic sprints, and I’m not conditioned for longer distances. (Those of you who ran high-school track will know how difficult it is for a former distance runner to admit affinity with sprinters!) As I stood there in the temple thinking about electric bills and struggling to worship for just a few hours, I wondered how I would fare in heaven, where we will worship for eternity.
Surely in one sense it will be easier: rather than having to discipline my mind to focus on Jesus and blot out distractions, in heaven my faith will become sight and I will see Jesus in front of me. Distractions will be forgotten and worship should be a natural reaction.
However, I don’t want to show up to heaven and just “wing it” (no angel joke intended). I want to cultivate worship endurance in this life, so it truly will be instinctual in heaven. I pray that God will guide me towards continual worship, as He’s deserving of nothing less.
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”” (Hebrews 12:28-29)
PS- To my Boston sistahs (past and present) - you were all on my mind tonight, so I offered up some good intecessory prayers for you during meditation time. I love you and miss you, and I hear NYC is the place to be for Labor Day weekend (hint, hint).
4 comments:
Really? I heard Boston is the place to be for Labor day weekend...it must be...isn't it?
Maybe a different weekend in September or October is the time to be in NYC...what do you think?
"Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt."
Lord Krishna's words to his devotee Arjuna - Bhagavad Gita 12.8
Psalm 121:1-2 "I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth". know you are in His sight always! :) you write great entries. food for thought on: life, love, animals, inanimate objects, God, music and what-have-you's...love it! love you. wish i was there for labor day...thinking of you though.
Truly an amazing post (sorry I saw it so late) I really do like your thoughts on sustained worship. I have thought about it before but I haven't been able to articulate it as well as you. Thank you for that blessing!
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