Today saw me return to trackside for a few days of car racing at some of its best. However, I wasn't overly satisfied with the experience of today. Things were different to last year, or the last number of years in fact. Some aspects were located in different places, others were just not there, some things were not finished in being set up and the list could go on.
It got me thinking of the times I hear this about church too. Either people looking for a past experience, or past leadership or 'something' that was good for them on an occasion. The desire to have something or an experience exactly how 'I' want it.
And yet, how did I come to deciding that an experience or event was a good one in the first place? Was it not about attending? Participating? Being there expecting something to happen? So why would I not continue to look for something new in something different? Or, look for that which I do appreciate in the experience that was, like the great company I had, or the fact that I also got a few hours with my son.
It is so easy to not be looking or expecting something in an experience that is replicated on some regular basis. We close ourselves off from the blessing or challenge that might be available to us, just because it is not how 'we' want it to be.
"Lord, I desire to be more open to see, hear and BE all that You might desire of me. Help me to pull up short from being unsatisfied or closed to something new or different."
That's good Andrew! I Love the analogy with the Church - how people rob themselves from the joy of experiencing the present by expecting what they had in the past.
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