Living Worship

Back in November I wrote the following paragraph in a blog post about decision making:

“We often hear (in a nutshell) that worship is not singing, it is the way we live our lives. I think I have been inclined to only think that included the holy things we do. The expressions, encouragement and uplifting things. Giving, sharing and loving were on that list, but I am realizing that cooking, drawing, running and kickball are probably on there too. More and more I am realizing that whatever God has placed in us, when we do it in joy, it is worship and it glorifies Him.”

I wanted to elaborate on that idea a bit by sharing some of my recent insights about heaven. I’ve never been there, but I know some great people who live there now and it causes me to examine my own future there a little more closely. We all want to know what it will be like and God doesn’t keep it a secret. I’m amazed at what has been revealed about eternity and personally I’m so excited about going myself. I think if we could fully comprehend what was waiting for us we might be in danger of rushing death instead of fighting it.

I’m fascinated by heaven and eternity. Not morbidly so, but I anticipate it with much more joy than fear. I think the rejoicing in heaven is constant and full, much like the way God rejoices over us. Not just when my cousin Matt preaches a great sermon at his church, not just when my brother takes a mission trip to Haiti, not just when my cousin RoxAnne kneels to pray with her 10 children at bedtime, but when they play, when they express outwardly the talents and joys God wove into each of them when they were in the secret place. He loves to see HIS WORK…it is our act of worship, our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1-2) and it brings glory to Him when we do it with joy, without complaining, with an attitude of praise and thankfulness and appreciation for the ability to live out our callings and purposes in every way. Oh my, it makes me emotional as I write this because it speaks so deeply to me of God’s love. His joy over us and His design for our lives that is not a task meant to burden, but an adventure that frees us to live as we were built to live.

This causes me to theorize about heaven a bit. I used to believe that when we step foot into the fullness of His presence we would be overwhelmed with knowledge. We would know anything and everything. There would be no more questions. That thought excited me at one time, but now I wonder. I know that we will have a fuller knowledge of Him, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we will know all that He knows. I am more inclined to believe that we will still be learning, that we will be constantly growing in knowledge and insight. Our limits will be removed, but our joy in discovery will remain. In fact I get emotional about that too. The idea of constantly perfecting the creation God called “Mary,” and fulfilling to the greatest extent possible the joys He put within me, my worship of Him being defined in looking deeper into His heart for me. Will our questions and our pursuit of Him cause His own glory to be more greatly expanded? Further awakening our pursuits and instigating an infinite cycle of growth and knowledge? Why not? Here is a blog post or it seems a chapter from Randy Alcorn’s book “Heaven” that seems to support my theory a bit. I LOVE it! I especially love that He did all the homework and lists all the Scriptures and Greek meanings to back it up.

As I baked bread yesterday and ran my hands through the flour and soft dough, tracing the imprint in my mind that my mother left as I watched her hands move and create so many years ago. My thoughts of heaven landed softly around me and challenged me with questions: Does she still bake bread? If she does, is it ever increasing in it’s perfection as she learns to do it even better? What has she learned about the resources and the unadulterated grains that heaven’s fertile fields produce? What unmatched science has she adopted to further enhance the rising dough, the savory smell and the golden crust? Further, what skills did she learn here that placed her further along the path when she got there? Is our life of service here held over in eternity? There were boundless directions my mind could go with questions. So many questions.

The more I ask, the more I imagine I am destined to discover. Heaven isn’t an end…we knew that didn’t we? It’s not even a final answer, it’s the beginning of answers. The beginning of seeing and hearing for the first time. We will know Him as He IS…our Creator (Fearful and Wonderful) has planted the seed of you and me that he is cultivating in the soil of earth. Our worship is our constant growth in EVERY good gift He has given, not just flowering in song, but waving in wind, soaking in His living water and lifting our head toward the light of His affection. We are His…made for Him and flourishing as He smiles on us in the worship of living.