Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Too Busy to Worship

As we prepare for Summit 2, I have been compiling a lot of different information about worship since the theme for Summit 2 is The Journey:Every Step is Praise. I've been working hard lining up set lists, emailing reminders, questions, concerns, and ideas. I've been ordering art supplies. I've been working hard!  The reason I'm cranking through all this is we go on vacation this week too, so it all has to come together! I'm full of anticipation for both the vacation and the Summit, but if I'm being honest, in the midst of all the busy work is this little nagging feeling... You see, I think I've been so wrapped up in my work that I've forgotten who I'm doing the work for.  As I was falling asleep (very late) last night after working on Summit 2 things, I realized I sure had been working hard on seeking information ABOUT God, but I had not been very diligent about simply seeking God.


This happens to me on a different level on my kids' birthdays. Let me explain. I tuck them in bed the night before and then wake up early on their big party day. I clean, I cook, I decorate the cake. Jarrod whisks the boys away to some other area of the house so that I can get my stuff done without interruptions. I don't really see the birthday boys all day long because I'm so busy with the preparations. When it comes time to blow out the candles, it suddenly hits me! Uggg! What have I been doing all day long? I forgot the most important thing of all! Enjoying my kid on the day of his birth! I've had 4 years of this now and I've finally come to the realization that the person is way more important than the party. So anyone invited to this years' festivities, I will apologize in advance- it's going to be way more thrown together this year and all years after this. There may even be...dare I say it...a store bought cake (gasp!) and I can guarantee that the invitations will be something I can throw together in less than an hour...no individually hand-crafted invitations that take a month to make. Sorry, but I am not being overtaken by the madness anymore. I love my kids. I want their day to be special. But I also want to enjoy the time with them instead of focusing on the work. 


A lot of times in our relationship with God, we run into the same trap- forgetting that the person(Jesus) is way more important than the party (life).


Sometimes we get so busy doing ministry work, or just work in general, that we lose focus of the big picture. I am so bad about this lately. I work and work and am so busy that I forget that my heart's deepest desire and purpose is simply to be with God. To know Him. To be still. Do not be deceived to believe that being busy is equal to being spiritual. This is probably one of the biggest tricks of the enemy. It's kind of ironic, isn't it? The Director of Worship being too busy to worship? But it happens. To ALL of us. So what can we do about it? 


There is a perfect story in the Bible about this very subject in Luke 10:38-42:


Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."


On the flip side, I think sometimes people could use this passage as a way to get out of work. I mean, honestly, in ministry or in life you can't just hang out all day loving Jesus and leaving the details to everyone else- there is work to be done! But I think the point of the passage is that our attitude and our mindset about the work that needs to be done is important. Are we, as Martha was, distracted by all that needs to be done? Are we obsessing about details that don't matter? Are we playing the "Martyr card" (woe is me...I'm doing ALL this work...feel sorry for me!) I want everything that I do in ministry to be done with excellence and I want to work hard, but I also have to balance it out with the necessary time spent at the feet of Jesus- listening to Him, learning from Him, and loving Him.  


When's the last time you just stopped DOING and started BEING in God's presence? I know for me, it's been way too many days. Friends, seconds turn into minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days, days to weeks, weeks to months, months to years, and years into lifetimes. I want my life to be defined by a deeply abiding love of Jesus- not all the work I did in His name. Although the work we do, no matter what it is, is important, it's not the most important part of life. Jesus wants our hearts, not the work of our hands. Without the heart, nothing else matters anyway. 


Be encouraged that though your life is busy, your heart doesn't have to be. Rest in Jesus' love. Be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10) Don't be distracted by details that only matter to you anyway. Choose "the good portion, which will not be taken away from you". Work hard, but love God even harder and let every bit of effort that you produce in your life bring glory to Him. This is what worship is all about. 

No comments:

Post a Comment