breaking the hush

I can’t tell you the last time I bowed my head to pray for my meal. The last time I sincerely thanked God for what I was about to eat. Well, the other day at lunch, all three of the men bowed their heads and silently thanked Him for theirs. It got me thinking, what happened? As I evaluated myself, I found the answer. Anything that I saw as “religious” (repetitive, legalistic) that I was taught growing up, I stopped doing. I think I got so tired of others being so Pharisee-like, that I began to question everyone who would do these things, and decided that I didn’t need them to show my relationship with the Lord. Well, one of the last visits I had with Shanell-the oldest of the three of us-we were talking about something and she mentioned something that she remembered me saying years back in a testimony. That “sometimes not being religious became our religion.” We are so set that actions make up facades in the church, that no matter what a heart may hold in doing those things-we will not. For example, those of us who grew up in church remember worship moving from hymnals to projection. Some of the older crowd may have called it “singing off the wall.” With so much criticism from the “older” crowd at church, saying that the music is too loud and that you can’t worship without a hymnal – “we need hymnals” – in a way made these songbooks idols of religion. But, for those younger shakers and movers, you/we didn’t open up to true worship until the words were plastered on the wall. And now there are even some of those so-called shakers and movers that feel stifled without the instruments and jumbo trons. You/we are so stuck on not using hymnals because the spirit of religion parallels those books in your/our mind, that singing on the jumbo tron with full instrumental and vocals have now become your/our religion. We have made NOT being religious our new religion. I use this specific example because I have been there.  I think I want “REAL” so bad that I just choose to not do it if I saw/see others not being real. But as my relationship grows with the Lord, I am convicted.  I have now made not not being real my religion.

Are these men bowing their heads for show? Maybe. Maybe not. Does my head even have to be bowed? No. But, I don’t know their heart – and who knows, “pork roll” may really have been what they desired that day and they were truly grateful. Maybe I should think of that next time I get to eat a pint of ice cream or lasagna, and not only thank Him from the deepest gratitude of my heart, head bowed or not, but ask Him to continue to show me true and spiritual worship. Living real without making it, and not only thank Him from the deepest gratitude of my heart, head bowed or not, but ask Him to continue to show me true and spiritual worship. Living real without making it my religion.

Breaking the Hush,

Shawn