Meditation Monday, August 23, 2021

By Sharon Ross, Minister of Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Director, and Assistant to the Senior Pastor

Sometimes we forget. We forget that we were created for joy. We forget that God is with, in, above and around everybody and everything. We let our hearts get heavy. Our minds are often more than a bit too busy to allow time to nurture our relationship with God. I wonder what it would it look like if we, as God’s children, consciously and intentionally fixed our attention on God?

“So, here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to work, and walking around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without thinking. Instead fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.”

from Romans 12 – The Message

What might that look like for us? What would it look like if we all intentionally fix our attention on God? What if we could all decide to take a “time out” and get back to the basics? Well, it most certainly would mean prioritizing prayer, study, and worship. It might mean suspending new programs and putting others on hold (although the lockdowns and threats of new viruses seem to have done some of that for us). For some of us it may mean rebuilding and repairing troubled relationships. By the grace of God, we would never return to our old ways; particularly if those old ways suck the joy and love out of us and others! The truth is, that when we submit ourselves to God, we are transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are transformed and changed to be more truthful, more hopeful, more faithful, more joyful and more loving. May it be so, Lord. May it be so.