The Lost Art of Sitting

Conservatory Coffee from Pixabay

Facebook is a necessary evil in my life. I'm thankful I can stay in touch with friends around the world, but when my loved ones are hurting, social media isn't enough.

Too often I click on Message and find I have no words. Words are hollow in the middle of our pain.

As I hunt for an acceptable sentence or two to reach out and share my love, I think of Job in the Bible. His friends did well for a week. They cried. They tore their clothes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Most importantly, they sat with him and didn't say a word. Only after a week did they open their mouths and fail completely.

That's how I feel on Facebook. If you're hurting right now, I wish I could sit with you. I don't want to say anything. I just want you to know my love.

The Monotony of Worship

I was sipping coffee and reading a few chapters in my Bible Saturday morning when I came to Hebrews 10:11 (ESV), "And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins."

Photo by thesuccess at morguefile.com

"How monotonous!" I thought. Can you imagine going through the same rituals day after day and wondering if they did any good?

Instead of beautiful moments of worship, this verse reminds me of the Greek myth of Sisyphus, forever struggling to roll a boulder up the hill only to watch it tumble back down. But maybe that's the point.

Maybe God wanted them to glimpse the pointlessness of it all, so they would understand none of their good works or rituals could make them right with Him. They needed something greater. They needed Someone greater, as the very next verse states, "But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God" (ESV).

So the next time I'm too tired to feel anything during a worship service, when my mind is a fog and my heart is numb, I'll accept the feeling as a gift. A reminder that it doesn't depend on me. God has done it all.