Something is Missing

Note: This post is linked to Gratituesday, from Heavenly Homemakers. It is written by Tom Norvell of "A Norvell Note" and used by permission. It sure makes one think about their priorities....or it least it did me!

To see what others are grateful for, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

Something Is Missing

      Something is missing. 

      We spend enormous amounts of energy when it comes to sports, business deals, and political conversations. We show great excitement over good grades, delicious meals, and the latest blockbuster movie. Yet, we sit on our pews acting bored while someone simply tells the story of the cross. 

      We are completely engrossed in a story about an abandoned puppy, the latest political gossip, and information about our newest electronic gadget. We participate in grand displays enthusiasm when our team scores, when our candidate wins, and when our favorite performer wins an award. Yet we check our voicemail while our daughter tells us about her Sunday School lesson.

      We arrive at the theater twenty minutes before the movie begins, we are in our seat an hour before kick-off, and we arrive at the golf course thirty minutes before our tee time. Yet we cannot seem to leave home early enough to make it to a church gathering until well into the service.

      We shed tears when the movie gets gushy, we get weepy during greeting card ads, and we get choked-up when we see photos of a newborn baby. We scream and shout for the home team, we put team logos on our vehicles, and we travel long distances to show our support for our team. But, we make sure we keep our emotions in check when we stand in the midst of our brothers and sisters singing praises to the Lord so that no one will accuse us of being "out of control."   

      We rush to the bookstore and stand in line for hours for the latest bestseller, we make sure we get our name on the list for the not-yet-out-still-being-designed smart phone, and we push and shove our way through the crowds to get a glimpse of a super star. But, we see no need and have no desire to take advantage of quality opportunities for spiritual enrichment in our own church or in our own community.

      We have lengthy conversations about weather, sports, work, a delicious meal, what great gas mileage we got on our last trip, and love to catch up on our favorite television show. But we can't seem to find a way to ask our friend about his spiritual life.  

      We'll stay up late to watch the replay of the game, we'll get up early to be in the woods before daylight, and we'll work late to make the overtime. But we rush through the Lord's Supper and skip Bible class on Sunday morning because we have really important stuff to do. 

      We sit for hours in front of our televisions watching news from around the world, celebrity cooking shows, and comedians telling us what is wrong with our culture. But we find it almost impossible to sit through a twenty-minute message from the Word of God without losing our concentration or needing to go to the rest room.  

      Something is missing. What is it? 

       "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3, NIV)

      Is it possible that the something that is missing has to do with the direction of our heart? Is it possible that our minds are more focused on things on of this earth than on things above? 

      Something is missing. 

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2010. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

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