One night I was out cooking in my kitchen—I often do the cooking, I thoroughly enjoy it—and I heard my 2 year old son running back and forth from the kitchen to the living room. Each time he returned, he had another small car in his hand. Looking at the floor, I saw his little cars all lined up perfectly in a row. Dylan’s face was beaming, and through an ear to ear smile he shouted, “See daddy, cars!” He was so proud of his collection of cars and just wanted me to share in his joy. In that instant, I had a glimpse of the Father’s heart towards us.
Dylan was thrilled with his cars. He wasn’t bringing them to me because he thought I should receive praise for what he had. He wasn’t bringing them to ask me for more of them. He wasn’t even bringing them to play with me.
He was bringing them because he was proud of them and wanted me to share in that pride.
I immediately began to think of what we have done to this thing called “worship”. What is meant to be a place and time (a lifestyle? maybe) where human mortality collides with divine love and sharing happens has become a place of petition & repetition.
But how do we reclaim it?
We line our cars up for our daddy to see.
Not so we can praise him for them.
Not so we can ask for more.
Not so we can play with him.
Not so we can repeat catchy phrases.
So we can share with him what we have.
If we have sickness, we bring our sickness and line it up. We let him share in it.
If we have poverty, we bring our poverty and line it up. We let him share in it.
If we have depression, we bring it and line it up. We let him share in it.
If we have fear, we bring it and line it up. We let him share in it.
If we have health, we bring our health and line it up. We let him share in it.
If we have wealth, we bring our health and line it up. We let him share in it.
If we have joy, we bring our health and line it up. We let him share in it.
if we have peace, we bring our health and line it up. We let him share in it.
Our God is a very present help in time of need - that is certain, but He is not only found in our darkness. He is found in our light. The God who never leaves us or forsakes us doesn’t withdraw because of problems, He excels in them. He also excels in our victories. Not because He wants the glory, but because He enjoys sharing in the things we are proud of as well.
In short, we worship because we want to share with our dad. Our lives, our gifts, our fears, our hopes and dreams. We share it all with him, because that is the nature of our relationship with our heavenly father - one of sharing.
In the words of Jack Johnson “It’s always more fun to share with everyone”. Nothing is more enjoyable than sharing with our heavenly father.
