I was at Chapel Hill Bible church recently and Pastor Jay said something that I haven’t shaken for the past couple weeks. “We become what we worship!” Ok, ok, I thought and expected to hear about worshiping false idols or fake gods, none of which I felt I was guilty of. But he went on to share that some of us worship things like MONEY or FAME, HEALTH or CONTROL, AUTHORITY or POWER. Well, those things hit a little closer to home with me and I put some thought into examining my own life for shortcomings. And there were plenty.
I spent a good deal of time in reflection on all of those areas and I could see where they often became a focus and priority of my life and my heart. I had to admit to myself that I have episodes of anxiety over my health, over not being in control of the future, worried about money and investments, concerned for my wife and children and their futures. Sometimes the worry and concern does overwhelm me and causes me to be short with my wife, or cranky and impatient with my children. I ended up realizing, especially given my diagnosis with terminal leukemia, that even if I were able to guarantee the outcomes I wanted in any of those areas of my life, the reality was that none of those things would ever become permanent for me or for them, and all those things could and likely would eventually be taken away from me. The health, the money, the authority, the recognition.
I realized that I want to focus on or “worship” something that CANNOT ever be taken from me. My health is already in question, my finances and money go out the door faster than it comes in, control over my life from the weather at the beach or the coaching of my son as a college quarterback are not really within my control. I think about them a lot and want to influence them to my liking. BUT I CAN'T.
And here in this Christmas season, all of these thoughts seem to carry a heavier weight. I believe in God, the Father, and I believe in His son, the Christ. And I believe in His spirit that is within us, all of us as a divine and Holy light and love.
And as a Father myself, I can understand deeply how it feels to watch your children try to do something and struggle despite many instructions and encouragement to help them. At some point in every good father’s life, he gets up out of his chair and comes down to the level of his children and says with open arms and a loving heart, “here, let me show you how."
And for me, that is what Christmas really is. The creator of every universe with power beyond our wildest imagination, comes down from His heavenly place and lives with us, His children, and offers us; "here, let me show you how to live and to love, how to endure, and to forgive."
So, if we truly do become what we worship, when my life is over in this physical realm we call humanity; there is no thing that I want to spend my time worshiping with my every breath, than the son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on Christmas Day. And in the end, if I become like Him, then all will be well, forever.
Merry Christmas to everyone. May you be blessed with family and love and joy, and may you experience worship of the only thing and the only one that can never, ever be taken away from you in this life, or the next.
Amen and AMEN.