Has the comfort of your recliner ever tempted you to stay home from church because you don’t feel great or you’re really tired? Yeah, I suspect I’m not the only one. Sometimes we become so accustomed to our routines that we take things for granted and forget how blessed we are to go to church. God’s sent several visuals over the past few months to remind me of that . . .
On this particular Sunday morning, I noticed something at the start of the service that touched my heart. Supported by her husband’s hand under her arm, a sweet lady I’d never seen before walked slowly in the door and sat at the end of our row. Her turban made it obvious that she was undergoing a major health situation, punctuated by the oxygen tank that was her accessory that morning. I could tell that the walk into the building had exhausted her.
It brought tears to my eyes to realize what an effort it had been for her to get there. I saw church through her eyes that morning—the comfort, the strength and the hope that she could cling to for the days ahead.
On another Sunday, I noticed a dear man who’s attended our church for many years. He’s in a wheelchair now, and it’s a slow process for him to get from his car into the building. I watched him one service as he laboriously moved from his chair to one of the seats. I was tired just from watching the effort that it took. I can’t even imagine how long it takes him to get ready to come to church, but he’s there every Sunday.
And then there’s the visual from several months ago that moves me to tears every time I think about it. A missionary had just returned from another country far around the world. It was one of those countries where expressing your faith meant that your family would disown you, and sometimes it even meant a death sentence.
As the missionary shared slides from his time there, there was one picture that is now etched in my mind and heart forever. It showed an older man with no legs sitting on the hot sand. The missionary said, “This is _________ on his way to church. It takes him many hours to get there as he sits on the sand and pushes with the stumps of his legs, making it a foot or so at a time, repeating the process over and over until he gets there.”
Scooting to church on the sand.
Oh my, sweet friends! When’s the last time that we were that inspired to get to church? When’s the last time we thanked God for the blessing of hearing the sermons, for the ability to see the words on the big screens and for the legs to walk into the building with ease?
Will you join me today in thanking Him for the priceless blessing of going to church?
