A Spoonful of Sugar

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Maybe you've all heard that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. One way I love to trick (bribe) myself into doing something unpleasant is to reward myself after. That usually gets me motivated. If I have to clean something I am not particularly fond of (hate), like say, the fridge, I would reward myself by going to a second-hand store or something. Sweeten the deal.

Sometimes I may not feel like going to church, but I usually go anyway. There's a good reason why I try hard not to miss, which I will share with you in just a minute. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand that there are plenty of reasons for not being there. I know things can and do happen, unfortunately, that keep us from going. You or a loved one may be sick. Maybe it seems boring or irrelevant. Or maybe you've had a bad experience or sort of gotten out of the habit. It could be fear, discouragement with the church or life which causes you to want to stay away.

So why do we go to church anyway? Here are a few reasons...


* to worship God


* for Spiritual growth


* God wants to meet us there


* to fellowship with other believers


* to reach out to others in and out of the church

The list could go on, but you get the picture. Church is good. God wants us to go for our benefit. Probably most of us know that. Now I want to tell you why I won't miss unless I'm pretty sick or have some other dramatic reason.

Since I have a relationship with God, I tend to pray about my problems; the things going on in my life. There have been so many times that God has chosen to speak to me at church.  It doesn't matter what was going on, good or bad, God uses this time to send me personal messages. Maybe it's in the scripture reading or the sermon, or something someone says to me. It hits me right in the heart. Sometimes, it so perfectly fits my situation at the time, that it leaves me feeling seen and loved by God. At these times I tend to think, "What if I hadn't been here?" I would have missed out. So I always try to make it.

And guess who ALWAYS shows up? Yep, you got it, God! So during the tough times, that's my spoonful of sugar. Whether I'm weary, or sad or discouraged, I just say -  be there with me. And He sweetens the deal.

I hope the next time you are in church, you will look for Him and receive His personal message for you!

Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Psalm 34:8

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