It feels a little strange. It’s Sunday morning and I am sitting at home – one of those post-operative restrictions – not that I was required to miss church; just that I am expected to “take it easy” for a few days or do as much as I can tolerate. While each day allows more freedom, the discomfort level (pain) is still such that moving around enough to shower, dress, get in a car, ride to church, get out, sit for an hour or so and then ride home is more than I can tolerate.
We can seldom anticipate the consequences of such things as surgery. For example, we know there will be pain but what don’t know is the level of pain and what causes the pain:
- Moving causes pain
- Laughing causes pain
- Coughing/sneezing causes pain
I was fairly confident I would miss church today – made arrangements for someone else to cover my responsibilities. I knew it would feel strange to be at home but it is stranger than I thought. Sunday’s are always busy. Today won’t be like that at all. I can pray – and I have – but I am not in the middle of the activity.
Just as we don’t anticipate consequences of things like surgery, we also have difficulty truly anticipating what most experiences will be. Today there are many people missing church. They are choosing to stay at home because they have anticipated that they will have a negative experience if they go to church.
There are those who have resisted putting their faith in Christ because they have imagined what it would be like and have decided not to go there. Unfortunately, it is impossible to anticipate what a relationship with Christ is really like.
While I am missing church, I am praying for those who have resisted faith because they have anticipated that faith will have a negative impact on their lives.
