Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Surprise Me God - Day 21 - Sunday

Super Surprise

After today Sunday afternoons become a little less interesting. The football season is ending with the Super Bowl and my team is not in it. But I do have some friends who are cheering for the Steelers. I thought they were going to win as well but being a sports fan I wanted a good game. I was not disappointed.

It seems as though some years I can't wait for the Super Bowl to be done with. I have watched 2 weeks worth of hype and every angle has been analyzed, every story told. This year I don't have ESPN, so I heard none of the hype. I was really oblivious to all that was going on. I really only knew the two teams that were in the game and that was it. I guess when I do actually watch the news I end up getting a little numb to all the importance and weight of this game. I wonder if the same thing happens in church?

Follow me for a second. People grow up and hear about God if their family attends church. They go to Sunday school and learn all the stories and have colored all the scenes of the Bible out of a coloring book. Then they get to confirmation where they learn more and more about God and the church. They finish it all off and get confirmed. All the hype all the learning and studying and the have reached the big game of life where the choice to follow Christ is theirs....and then they disappear. So many people have hyped up all the greatness of being a Christian and going to church but for most it has turned out to not live up to what people have said. Why is that? Do the people who reach the Super Bowl feel they have arrived and then quit playing the game after it is all said and done? I don't think so. There is still more to be done. And even if they stop playing, football is still a major part of their life.

I am not sure if that is the same case for Christians. See, we have never really had the chance to know what it is like without Christ. He has always been there, his love always abounding in our lives. We have never really had to make the choice of whether or not to continue on in our faith. I have seen my fair share of retirement speeches in my day and I know how emotional they can be. This is a major part of your life and you are making the decision to give it up. The sad thing is, I see that every year, but without the emotion. I see a group of 9th graders get confirmed and then make a decision to not come back. The worst part is it seems to be a relief to them.

Believing in God is not an accomplishment. The Super Bowl can't even compare to the bigness of God's love. But we still take it for granted. My hope is that in my life I can show people how to be in awe of God's love and mercy every day of their lives and that we would never forget that God is working through us. That's the whole point of this experiment...isn't it? To know and realize that it is not us that makes all this happen, but God. I pray I will not loose hope and believe all the hype about God's love in my life, and that you will too.

Blessings,

dain

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