Is it More?

Worship.
It's a noun and a verb.
A thing or idea and an action.
It's a choice.

I was listening to a song the other day (unfortunately, I cannot remember the title or artist), and it mentioned worshiping the one who made us and sustains us. One of the radio hosts came on the air after the song was over, and they asked one simple question.
Is worship more than just a song for you?

I paused and thought about that.
Is worship more than just a song I sing on Sunday?
Is it more than just singing back praises to God once a week or singing along to Christian artists on the radio?The obvious answer is yes, but think about that. If it's more than just singing along with another person or singing praise songs once a week, what is it?
Answers started to flood my mind as I sat and contemplated that.
I think that worshiping something (of course I'm talking about God, our creator) comes from a desire to give back. Worshiping God is a small act of saying 'thank you' to him. He has done so much for each and everyone of us, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.
Worship is a lifestyle. It's making the decision to live your life out to sing praises back to God. It's making choices throughout the day to point back to God. It's choosing to do something because you know it will bring God honor. It's choosing to say, or not to say, something that will allow others to see your light shining bright for Him. It's allowing others to know that you are different.
A lifestyle of worship requires sacrifice. It is within every fiber of me to want to do things that will make people happy. I don't like to ruffle people's feathers. I hate knowing that someone might be upset with me. Worship, as a lifestyle, requires me to completely sacrifice my want and need to keep everyone at peace. It requires me to stand up for something not everyone believes to be true. It takes a strength that is more than any power I can muster up. It takes supernatural power to deny my selfish desires and concerns and say, okay God, I will follow you.
Worship is a lifestyle, and it's one that I want to live out every day that my heart is beating. The price may seem great right now to stand out and be different, but when it comes to Christ and his love being shared with others, I am willing to pay it.
I was not put on this earth to accomplish things off of my own agenda. I, as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, do not have a personal agenda. I do not have a check list that trumps that of God's. He has a desire and that is for all to know him, for all to choose him, for all to say no to their own wants and needs.
My life was given to me not to be used for my gain but his. He has equipped me with more tools than I know what to do with, and all I need to do is look to him for instructions.
My words, my actions, my choices, do they reflect that of God's?
Is my worship more than just a song?

Heart's Prayer

There are things that we have been gifted with. Some we may them see as more of a curse than a blessing, but each one makes us unique. Our thoughts, opinions, likes, dislikes, and desires are far different than any other human being. Our temperament and disposition give each of us a different vantage point. Not a single one of us will ever be 100% like someone else. 100% unique!

Each of us has a heart prayer. Some may see it as a passion, others may call is a desire, and still others may think of it as a dream, but no matter what we call it, there is something placed in each of us that we desire to do. Some are more willing to acknowledge it while others shy away from it. To some of us, the dream seems far too large to reach. We see it as impossible and decide to find a plan b.
We were not created for a plan b. We were not created for second best. We were not created to settle. We were created to shine. We were created to exceed. We were created to strive. We were created to reach far beyond the stars. We were created by the God of the impossible. He knew what he was doing when he placed inside of each of us a dream. He knew how we would respond to our own dream, and he knew which one of us would jump at any opportunity to attain it. 

God knew. 

He knew. 

That's incredible. 

He knew that in this life I would experience heart ache. He knew that I would face things starting from a young age that would create insecurities. He knew that I would be challenged. He knew that I would endure pain and suffering.
He also knew that those painful and tough experiences would help mold me into who I am. He knew that without all those experiences my heart would not be tender to others. He knew that I would need to experience all that I have. He knew the bigger picture, and he knew just how to work it all together. 

He knows how it will all play out, and he knows when my "ah-hah!" moment will come. He knows what I will accomplish in this life.
He knows that I have a heart for people...for kids. He knows that I have a heart for those who are hurting. He knows that I have ideas and plans for my life that I am almost too scared to even think about.
He knows because he placed them there. And he did not place them there for them to sit dormant all my life.
We all have them placed there, and all of us need to be reminded of and embrace the fact that God is not a God of empty promises. He is a God who fulfills all that he says. He is a God of surprises, and he is a God of possibilities. That dream that is inside of each and every one of us, the thoughts that run through our minds while we lay in bed at night, the ideas that flare up in our hearts every now and then- they were not put there to tease us. They were put there because God knows we are capable of doing each and every one of them...with his hand guiding the way.
I have ideas of what I want to do with my life. I cannot look at pictures of children overseas without longing to be there next to them. I cannot drive by the homeless man on the corner without wanting to make things better for him and all the others. I cannot listen to a story of a young girl broken because of things that have happened to her without wanting to hold her in my arms and tell her it's all going to work out in the end. All of those reactions are not my own human reactions, they are God's love and reactions shining through me. Each of those scenarios are him prodding my heart, reminding me that I am not on this earth for my pleasure or gain. I am on this earth to do his work, to bring him gain, to shine his light on the dark hearts of others around me.
My dreams... they are not my own. They are my Father's that he specifically put into my heart. It is my responsibility to trust him. It is my responsibility to take a leap of faith and move forward toward the prayers set in my heart. To ignore them would be disobedience to him. To push them aside because I see them as impossible would be evidence of my lack of faith in him.

What's your dream... your heart's prayer?

We All Have Them

"All have what?" you ask.
Idols.
Now, before you start to think, "well she might, but I most certainly do not," hear me out.
Bitterness.
Jealousy.
Anger.
Passion.
Love.
Money.
Power.
Freedom.
Reputation.
Respect.
Comfort.
Success.
This is not an exhaustive list. These are just a few things that we, as imperfect human beings, long to have. Maybe we don't all desire to have each and every one of these, and maybe there are some that I didn't list that one of you may wish to achieve. The point is, every one of these things that we desire to have and try to achieve can very easily become the idol of our life. Our actions and thoughts are all in an effort to attain these or maintain them.
Now, when I think of idols, I think of the Israelites in Bible times or ancient cultures that bowed down to golden calves, hand crafted images, or people. The thought of television and money also pop into my mind thanks to childhood Bible school lessons that taught me to not allow the love of money or media control me. To me, television and money are a common idol in our culture. I never thought of the need for love or security or respect or power or (fill in the blank) as something we could bow down to, but how could they not be?
According to Webster's Dictionary, idol is used as a noun (person, place, thing, or idea) and is defined as a representation or symbol of an object of worship; a likeness of something; a form or appearance visible but without substance; an object of extreme devotion; a false concept.
Given that definition, anything can become an idol. I love the definition "a form or appearance visible but without substance." Any one of those listed above could easily fall under this definition. Pair that definition with the "object of extreme devotion," and we have a killer truth that so many of us are either unaware of or in denial about.
I am guilty of having one (and I'm sure there are many more) of these idols, and I didn't even realize it until recently. I idolize love and the desire to be loved, to be connected, to be desired. Honestly, what girl doesn't? I allow myself to focus on that way too much and it easily becomes the focal point of my thinking. I think more on that than on the God who has placed that desire in me.
Respect is another big one so easy to fall into. "Well, that person doesn't deserve my respect because they don't give me any."
Idols start out innocent, but they quietly creep up and make residence in our hearts and lives. Soon we begin to devise ways to achieve what we desire. We are willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill our desires, even if it includes stepping on other people or compromising our beliefs or promises. We do not trust that what we desire will come in time.
As a follower of Christ, I should believe in confidence that God will provide me the desires of my heart. My desires are to matter, to be loved and to know love. My desire is to make a difference in the lives of people and to feel connected to a person. I push people away afraid that they will take away that desire from me after letting me have a taste of it.
I fear rejection from others. Not only do I idolize love, but I also idolize my reputation. I want to be known as a wonderful person to others. Those two things sometimes do not go hand in hand, and I, in my finite and human mind, choose which one I think would be okay to compromise on.
By striving to attain these two things, love and reputation, I neglect to focus on the One who can actually give me all of those things. I allow my trust in him to diminish and my confidence in myself to increase. I allow myself to compromise my trust in Him which is equivalent to me simply running away from him. By taking matters into my own hands, I am spitting in his face and flat out telling him that I don't trust him.
I allow myself to think that I (an imperfect girl, selfishly seeking her own desires, striving to fulfill her little plans without seeing the big picture, and leaping into the big chasm of the unknown) can achieve my hearts desires without the One who placed them there. I allow myself to think that I am bigger and more capable than the God of this whole entire universe. I allow myself to be convinced that I am more equipped to face all the sharp turns, drops, mountains, and rapids without a map than the one who designed them all.
How foolish is that?
But, no matter how foolish I realize it to be, I still find myself turning back to myself and running from God. How do I fix this? Well, realizing and admitting that I do have idols in my life and that I am too prideful to get rid of them fully is a good first step.
It's not easy to admit that you have pride, but each and everyone of us who allow worry of something not happening control us and become our focus is guilty of pride. We proudly think that we are more capable whether we know it and realize it or not.
Change isn't easy, but it is possible. It is more than possible with the God of the impossible on our side. We are able to move a mountain with the strength of God, so to think that we could not overcome our fear with his help is..well... prideful. Change must come from the heart. It must be a sincere desire or else it will never take place. It's not easy. In fact, it's much harder than you realize at first, but change brings new beginnings that can be far better than what was before.
We all have those things we are holding onto, striving to reach with all that we are, but wouldn't it be so much easier to just let go and let God amaze us? He has so much in store for each and every one of us, but trusting ourselves more than Him will not open our eyes to those great things.