It's all about connecting.

Continued from a series of posts I am writing for my church... 

As we focus on both spiritual and physical health during the Cross Training series, I can’t help but be grateful for choices.  Filling out my challenge log, I love having all of the different choices listed. When it comes to exercise, we have plenty to choose from. Some people are runners. Some people love Pilates and yoga. Some people like training for triathlons. So many great options and none of them are wrong.

I have my own forms of exercise that I enjoy, but it took me a while to find what worked for me. For a long time I exhausted myself exercising in ways that other people loved but I hated. Someone I knew got healthy walking five miles a day, so I tried that. Someone I knew couldn’t stop talking about the benefits of water aerobics, so I tried that. I tried lots of different things that seemed to be working great for other people, but when I was honest with myself, none of it was working for me.

Worshipping our Lord is a lot like exercise in this instance. The way someone else might choose to worship might not work for you. Everyone exercises and worships in his or her own way, and in truth, there’s no wrong way to do it. As long as you are spending time each day exercising, as long as you are spending time each day worshipping, it doesn’t matter what you’ve chosen to do or how you’ve chosen to do it. It only matter that you’re actively participating in the way that works best for you.

We all have a longing to connect with God. Lucky for us, God’s presence is always with us, not just in one unique place. For some people, that connecting includes raising hands and singing with others. For other people that connection includes a quiet place to meditate alone. It really doesn’t matter how or where were we are connecting. What matters is that the connecting is happening.

I love the story of Jesus and the woman at the well in John 4:1-26. Near the end of that story the woman shares with Jesus that she’s confused about where she should be worshipping. Jesus’ response is the best and truly says it all.

“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” (John 4:23-24, The Message)

That Jesus. He really had a way with words.