Life Giving Words

“These instructions are not empty words – they are your life!” (Deut 32:47)

 

Music blared from my alarm clock jolting me out of a deep sleep. I reached over and hit the snooze button. It couldn’t be morning already. I could tell, before I even opened my eyes, that I was still exhausted.

The week had been long and taxing, draining all of my resources: emotional, mental, and physical. I was running on empty before the day even started.

The temptation loomed large to just turn that pesky alarm off, go back to sleep, and get up when I felt like it. I was by myself this particular weekend so there wasn’t anyone else getting up.

It would have been oh-so-easy to skip church and a multitude of justifying reasons ran through my sleep-fogged brain.

The congregation was large enough that I would not have been missed. Anyone who might have noticed would have assumed I was off doing something else or in a different service. It can be easy to feel anonymous sometimes.

I just wanted one morning where I didn’t have to get up and be somewhere.

I NEEDED the extra sleep.

Instead, when the snooze music blared once again, I groaned and drug myself out of bed and headed to get coffee and to the shower. Despite all of the reasons why I didn’t want to get up and go to church, I knew that when I am tired, that is the most important time to be there.

We are most vulnerable when we are most tired.

Most vulnerable to feeling alone. Most vulnerable to feeling unimportant. Most vulnerable to starting a pity party. Most vulnerable to feeling overwhelmed. Most vulnerable to letting emotions dictate our actions. Most vulnerable to letting excuses win.

We are most vulnerable when we are most tired because that is when we are the most empty.

Most empty emotionally. Most empty physically. Most empty spiritually.

This is why we need to be in worship when we are at our most tired. We are the most vulnerable, but we are also the most ready to be filled.

We come to worship parched and thirsty needing life poured into us.

Being in worship is not idle activity or an obligation to be met. We need to be where we will hear, see, and experience God’s life-giving words.

It is when we are our most empty that we need to sing the words “Praise God from whom all blessings flow” and let the truth of that proclamation form in our minds, leave our lips, and settle in our heart – filling, calming, and resting our spirits.

It is when we are our most empty that the words of the Gospel and the Preacher’s message of the depth and breadth of God’s love for us resonates and settles in our hearts – filling, reassuring, and encouraging our faith.

It is when we are our most empty that we need to be in community, turn, and hug that person next to us and let them hug us back; assuring us that we are not alone and not anonymous – filling, ministering to, and reinvigorating our perspective.

When you are your most tired what will you feed? Will you feed your vulnerabilities by staying away?

Or will you come to where life is promised? When you are your most tired and the temptation is strong to sleep in, instead of giving in to that snooze alarm, let yourself be drawn by God’s promise.

Let’s drag our empty selves to be where the Lord will feed our spirits through His life-giving Word and community.

Love and blessings,

Denise

#LivingHoly

@denmroberts