Reflection

I just arrived home from the worship service with the middle school students. I was there with Miles and Gavin. It was a great night. The worship was very heartfelt and passionate. During one of the songs I was raising my hand in praise and afterwards I looked down to see MIles doing the same thing. It struck me how my walk with Christ is watched and often modeled by Miles. If we ourselves are worshipers chances our children will follow. I have to admit that at this time in my life I do not feel like I am much of an example. I have been in a desert place for far too long. The move to Florida was harder than I expected and truthful has bothered me recently more than when I first moved here. I guess when I first moved it was such an adventure and a little like an extended vacation. Now, reality has set in. I live in Florida. The style of our church is very different from the one we left and the adjustment for me has been very hard. Tonight I was reminded that the Lord is near and I am hopeful that one day soon our church will begin to experience more of this type of heartfelt worship experiences. I have to give kudos to my husband. The Lord has gifted him with a passion and heart for worship. The Lord uses him to draw people into a worship experience. Growing up the music part of church for the most part was just something we did, often begrudgingly. Now the words come alive and have meaning. The songs are a message in themselves at times. Sadly, many churches worship experience still resemble those of my past. For me, my dry spell can be traced back to my focus being on my situation not on the Lord. Hebrews 12:12 says "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." I am reminded that I must fix my eyes on Jesus. He brought us to Fort Myers and he has a plan. The Lord does not owe me an explanation. As much as I wish he did! 2 Corinthians 4:18 says "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." I may not always be able to understand why the Lord has sent us here, but I guess the essence of faith is trusting in the unseen, the eternal.