Change?

I think we all reach that age in life when we begin to evaluate just how far we’ve come. Each of us has our own measuring stick by which we gauge our accomplishments. Some of us are quite satisfied with our current lot in life, but others consider the “what if’s” that could have changed everything about life as they know it now. I honestly believe I am exactly where God intended me to be, if for no other reason, because it is totally not where I thought I would be!

I’ve mentioned in my prior blogs that I still live in the small town I grew up in. Now, if you had told me that would be the case when I was a teenager, I would have said you were crazy! There was no way I was going to stay in my little hometown! Absolutely out of the question! But that was before I started dating my husband. My how love changes things! All of a sudden I found myself thinking that it really didn’t matter where I lived, I just wanted to spend time with him. I knew that he would most likely always live in our hometown because that was where his family’s business was located and he planned to work in it. Even so, it was okay with me because I didn’t consider it a sacrifice at all to stay here. We would be together and that was all that was important to me. Big turnaround, huh?

Over the years, I have come to appreciate the fact that my life did not turn out as I thought it would during my young teenage years. During that period of time we call the “teen years” I often applied my teenage wisdom in stating how I felt about an issue or what I would and would never do in life. I said to a group of friends just this week that one of the strongest weapons Satan has is the ability to convince teenagers that they are wise! Think about it…..have you ever met a teenager who didn’t think he knew more than most adults? In the eyes of a teenager, adults are old fashioned, much too structured and unwilling to change with the times. They think our dress, our music, our world views and our values are way outdated. Teenagers believe that adults don’t understand the world of today, so they feel no need to listen to what we say. Hey……..now before we get all worked up and angry about this, it might do well for us to remember that we have “walked a mile in those shoes” ourselves. We’ve all been teenagers and if you think for one moment that you never had these thoughts, then you are living in denial. I am a teen of the “early seventies”…..talk about rebellion! “Love peace, not war!” might have started out as a slogan to end the war in Viet Nam, but I assure you the longer lasting meaning of it was that of free love, free speech, no rules and no consequences. During that period of time the generation gap grew at an alarming rate and we have not gotten over it to this day. The worst part of it was that the Church was totally unprepared for what was happening. Religion was viewed as “anti teen” and “pro-adult”, or in other words, outdated.

The good part of all this is that out of the turmoil of the late sixties and early seventies, came a new revelation in the church………worship did not have to be just like it had always been…….structured, with organ music, the singing of hymns written at least 50 or more years earlier and exactly between the hours of 11:00am and 12:00 noon Worship could be, it SHOULD be, praise from the heart lifted up to the glory of God. Thus began what we now call the contemporary worship service.

Worship, no matter what the style, must be what is pleasing to the Lord. Now, back in the seventies would anyone have thought that the praise and worship songs we sing in church services today would exist? As a teenager from that time, you KNOW that I am simply loving this style worship experience! But……..what about those who were adults during that time period……..are they loving it as well? The truth is some truly are, but then some really aren’t. Not only that, not all teenagers from my era are supportive of this style of worship either……..one being my own husband! Change, or lack of, is an adjustment. How we handle it determines who we really are. In the Church, it is exactly the same except for one thing….the spiritual well being of God’s people is at stake.

I said in the beginning of all this that the one thing that changed my mind about staying in my hometown was my love for my future husband. I think the same is true for the church……the one thing we must embrace when planning for the future, is our love for God. Not the building we meet in, the style of worship or the denomination we prefer. God has a plan for us, even if it means doing things in ways we are not accustomed to or in ways we were totally against in the past. It may also mean doing something we used to think was so “out dated”. The effectiveness of the Church doesn’t depend on our style of worship; it is totally driven by our love for Him. So…..what are we waiting on? Let’s love the world through Him……..no matter what style of worship we have. Hey, I’m no longer a teenager either physically or spiritually, so it’s time to recognize His wisdom, and not keep trying to defend my own.