Real Worship

Being “real” has always been a desire in my life.  What I mean by that is having integrity in the sense of being open and honest; not pretending or putting up a front, or wearing a mask.  I love the innocence of youth; the beauty of being unashamed and unafraid to say what you think or feel.  Of course, over time I have learned to be selective about whom I allow myself to be real with.  The sad truth is that I have even learned to not be real with myself. (Neither of which is necessarily good.)

While the desire for reality in this sense is perhaps, a noble (though at times, possibly unwise) one; reality (in the sense of what we experience) is, in fact, subjective.  What is real for me my not be real for someone else.  If, for example, someone were to grow up being constantly told that they weren’t good at a particular activity or skill (say: sports, art or music), then they would ultimately believe what they were told; even if it were not actually true – and especially if it were an influential person in their lives that was telling them.  A gifted young artist may never grow to exhibit her creations if, inside she believes that  they aren’t of any worth or value (even though they may be the finest, most exquisite pictures ever painted).  My point is this: our thinking defines our reality.

“What  on earth has this to do with worship?” you may ask.  Well, if our thinking defines our reality, then what we think about God will define the reality of our relationship with Him and will ultimately determine how we experience Him.  If we believe that He is a distant, austere deity then we are unlikely to want to share our deepest, most intimate thoughts and feelings with Him.

Jn 8:32 says, ” You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”; and in Jn 14:6 Jesus says of Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”.  Truth is more than mere doctrine or theology.  Many wars have been faught over such things.  Many factions and splits have occurred in the church over differences of opinion about how to interpret both.  Truth is a person.  That person is Jesus; and we have been called into a glorious, vibrant, passionate, vital relationship  with Him.

As with all relationships, our relationship with God is meant to grow, develop, mature… change over time.  As we get to know Him more, our thinking (at a heart level) is changed; and as our thinking changes & grows, so does our experience of God.

Iam not advocating relativism; there are some absolutes (especially where God is concerned).  Mal 3:6 says, “I am the Lord and I do not change”; Heb 13:8 says that Jesus is “…the same yesterday, today and forever”.  For example, we can count on the fact that God is Love (1 Jn 4:8,16), and that He is for us and nothing can separte us from His love (Rom 8:31-39).

So, let’s not look to our reality (our experiences) to define God, but rather let Him define our reality.  Yes, our experience of Him changes & grows as our thinking does in the context of our relationship with Him; this is the transformation process that Paul spoke about in Rom 12:2 – changing the way we think.  We are on a journey; an adventure, a voyage of discovery together with God and each other; a journey that reaches beyond this time and space – into eternity.  We’re in this for the long-haul.  Let’s enjoy it!