Determined to Worship

"Oh come, let us worship"

Psalm 95:6

So we came into a church a few weeks ago, and made our way to our "usual" seats.  Or close, anyhow.  We don't sit in the same seats every week, but in the same general area.  You know how it is ~ we don't want to be under an A/C vent, we want to be where we can see the pastor comfortably, we need good lighting so we can see to take notes, etc. 

Oh, and I like to be near a window.  If I go too long without looking at trees or flowers or clouds, I get withdrawal symptoms. 

Anyhow, so we sat down, nodding hi to an usher as we did so.  We didn't need his assistance, but he stood there dutifully and smiled, wanting to be needed.

A few minutes later, he was needed.  Or so I thought.  Someone walked up to him, and they had a conversation.  A long conversation.  A conversation that kept going well after worship had started.

I tried to keep my eyes front, and my heart on God, and my ears tuned to the music, but it was hard.  Ever notice how some people don't actually whisper, they just talk in a low voice?  And even if you are whispering, there is no disguising the sound of the letter S.

So I fought distraction, and tried hard to worship.

And then the family in front of me got into the action...

It appeared to be a father and three girls, ages 12-16 or so.  The youngest girl was sitting between her sisters, but the father appeared to want her to write the offering check.  He handed her the checkbook and the offering envelope and leaned past her sister, apparently giving her directions.

But I'm not positive, because I was trying to pay attention to worship.

The sister who was between the dad and the family accountant apparently felt she was in the way of the conversation, so she stood up and gave her sister a little shove, so now she was next to the dad.  The "pushy" sister then sat in the seat the younger sister had just vacated, where, frankly, it looked to me like she'd wanted to be all along.

But what do I know; I was just trying to worship.

By this point, I was downright frustrated.  What happened to manners?  Or did these people just have no realization outside of their own current thought (i.e. saying hi to a friend, or getting the tithing check written)? 

And I know I've done it a time or two myself.  Sometimes we're just clueless, ya know?

But the thing is, there will always be something distracting us from paying proper attention to God and His worth.  Sometimes it's the thoughts in our own busy minds, sometimes it's the devil himself, working to prevent us.  And sometimes it's good, if temporarily thoughtless, people.

And maybe it's a good reminder that if I'm doing what I ought to be doing, I'll be less likely to prevent someone from doing what they ought to be doing.

Eyes on Him, people!

~ "Let us go into His tabernacle;

       Let us worship at His footstool." ~

Psalm 132:7

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