Friday, March 18
Not Only On Sunday
Don’t just pretend to love others.
Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each
other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring them.—Romans 12:9-10
When
I was young, Sundays meant crafts, snacks, and pretty dresses. Prayers came
with dinner and bedtime, a poem I learned while learning to speak. Church was
in my life and I knew who God was but I still didn’t really understand Sundays.
When I grew older, I started to stray away from pre-written prayers because I
needed something more personal. This was when my relationship with God started
to transform. Sundays came, I went to service and I actually listened instead
of drawing on the donation envelopes. Still though, Sundays were just Sundays.
It wasn't until I became part of the youth group that I realized that Sundays
are more than a building, a song, a prayer, or a speech. In fact, it wasn’t
even on a Sunday that I found its meaning…it was every day of every week. I
have only lived seventeen years, but I wouldn't have the faith that I do if I
had only listened to God one day of the week. I found God’s love on mission
trips, Starbucks trips, and various beaches. But it’s not the coffee at
Starbucks, the sunsets over the waves on the beaches, or the distances I
traveled on mission trips that helped me find God, it’s the people I was with.
It was in these people that I saw God, which ultimately helped me see God in
myself. These people were with me at the beginning of my faith journey and
helped form what I believe in. I met my church family on a Sunday, which is why
Sundays are important to me. But it’s the experiences I have had with them that
have made me realize that Sundays aren’t a day but a feeling. Sundays are
community, love, and comfort. Sundays are often filled with hugs, laughter and
sharing. Sunday only comes once a week but the Sunday feeling is not limited to
that day.
Dear
God, May you guide us through life caring for the world with the love we found
through you. Thank you for showing us that while we may have learned about your
love on Sunday, it is not limited to that. Thank you for the people in our
lives that show us every day what Sunday really means. In your name we pray.
Amen.
Tori McKay
No comments:
Post a Comment