Sometimes it’s easy to just go through the motions. With busy schedules every week, trying to divide your time, and doing all of this while trying to stay sane, we often lose sight of what our priorities should be, and we take a lot for granted. Sometimes church gets wrapped up in this type of schedule. It might just seem like another thing to check off of your crazy list for the week, but we need to flip that mindset around.
The Gift of a Sunday Morning
Being able to go to church every Sunday is a gift. In America, we don’t face persecution for our faith like some of our brothers and sisters do in other countries. I know waking up early on the weekend does not seem like the most exciting thing—to be honest, it’s not my favorite thing either. But imagine having to hide and find secret places to gather and talk about their faith whenever they can. This may be in the middle of the night, morning, or whenever, in basements, backrooms, secluded woodlots, wherever the risk of exposure is limited. It is a gift that we are able to get up every Sunday and go to church without fear for family and safety. Church is a gift, and we shouldn’t take it for granted.
Building Faith Muscles
Our faith is like a muscle. The more we work on it, the more it will grow, but if we leave it alone and never do anything with it, it will atrophy. When our muscles atrophy, they get weak and diminish. Church is like a gym for our faith. When we learn more about God, get involved, and fellowship with others, our faith can grow and we can notice a difference. It’s just like that rewarding feeling of looking in the mirror and noticing more muscle definition than you have ever had before.
Owning My Faith
Finally, going to church can help you make your faith your own. People around their mid-teens, which is my age, need to start making their own decisions about their faith. We all do at some point. It can be easy to build your faith off of someone else, because there is a lack of responsibility in doing so. But, I can’t always rely on my parents or friends to have me read my Bible, make me go to church, make me pray, have the right friends group, etc. But, if I am able to make my faith my own, and church helps that a lot, then growth in Christ will then be more personal, eye-opening, and it will bring joy.
One thing that I enjoy is going to youth group. I am able to build relationships with others my age, talk about relevant topics in my life, and really grow in my faith. With the community at my youth group, they encourage me to come up with goals that I have about my faith, and follow through with them. They encourage me to make my faith my own, and build my relationship with Jesus.
Let’s not overlook the importance of going to church, and the many great things that can come from it. Remember to take a moment to slow down, get our priorities straight, and thank God for what he has blessed us with.
