Sometimes Worship Is Messy

Whew! I’m glad last week is over. Have you ever had one of those days when nothing seemed to go right? And you’re late everywhere you go? And your emotions are all over the place? And even the things you feel confident in about yourself go horribly wrong? Yes, yes, and yes! No major disaster, but nothing to get you over the hump? Well, have you ever had one of those weeks!?! That was my last week.

Somewhere between:

 Business (work, work, work,),

 Disappointing news from my doctor about my last check up (everything that is supposed to be up is down and everything that is supposed to be down is up,),

Unforeseen events that made me late everywhere I went (I hate to be late,)

Mix up with medications (my fault,)

Things that have and are supposed to work in the classroom didn't (can’t blame the kids, they were just being kids,)

Daily headaches and physical aches and pains (I’m uncoordinated and drop things and trip and run into things a lot.)

                                And just general depressing thoughts,

                                                I was down, down, down.

I was reading the Bible and praying as a good little Christian should but not getting anywhere in my spiritual life.  Nothing. And I was examining my life to find the cause of the blockage. Nothing.  I was a spiritual mess.

The culmination of the mess had me on the treadmill, coloring my hair, practicing the coming up choir songs, and mentally reliving the past week’s failures. God got my attention with the words of the choir song:

God You Are God

Words by Josh Lopez

I will wait and be still, 

Knowing You’re here with me.

God, You are God even when I don’t feel You.

God, You are God even when I don’t see You.

I will worship.

 I will worship.

You are my God.

                                               

Suddenly The Holy Spirit thumped me with these thoughts... It’s easy to worship when everything is going great. The joy of the Lord and all that. It’s even easy to worship during the tragedies of life.  When I have no other place to go but to the Lord.  But do I worship when things are just yucky? Do I? Is that my first response?

So God and I had a worship time on the treadmill with this song.  It included a lot to sweating, singing, praying, and crying. But it was great! When I got off the treadmill and looked at myself in the mirror I had to laugh. I’m a visual learner and God truly gave me a visual. I was drenched with sweat. My make-up that was left was streaked from the crying. And the hair color had run down the sides of my face and covered my neck and shirt. I was a mess. It was God showing me that:

Sometimes worship is messy.

Sometimes it's not easy to worship.

But do I still worship?

Yes.