It's Not for Me

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him." - Jeremiah 17:7

Being a college student my schedule varies from one week to another. Because of this, I do not have much consistency in my weekly activities. This is also one of the reasons why I have decided not to attend a church through my first year of college. However it is only one of the reasons, another reason is because the church is the one place where I do not feel God.

I do not know if it's my love for spontaneity or my extreme dislike of being forced into an emotion/mindset, but I do not feel close to God in a typical church service. It may be because it seems like most churches have become more about status than the gospel or it might be the fact that you are expected to sit on an uncomfortable pew for an hour or more. When sitting in church, I find myself noticing other things far too often. I notice how the youth play on their phones, how the elder fall asleep, and how the middle aged constantly check their watches. I usually jot down notes on the pastor's message, yet when every word is precisely chosen, I feel their is a lack of originality, a lack of voice, and lack of faith.

So I often find myself sleeping in on Sunday mornings, enjoying breakfast, studying, or lounging, but I rarely find myself dressing up to spend an hour in church...

...and that it ok.

Just because I do not attend a church, does not mean I do not feel my God.

Windows down, radio blaring, driving down 24, I look across a field and I know God is there blessing the lives of everyone on Earth. It is in these moments that I realize just how blessed I am. I do not need to meet once a week in a pretty dress to be blessed by my savior. I am blessed on the good days and the bad. The days where I curse and swear and throw a fit are blessings as much as the days where I spend time with just me and my Bible. My God loves me the same on both of these days and all the days in between.

I live every day with my Lord. I see him in the most absurd and most amazing places. . .

...whether it be atop a mountain looking down on a city...

... or looking over a river;...

... playing Frisbee with a child in the Dominican Republic...

... or showering His love on teenage girls, 

He is there. 

He is everywhere. He is not only in church on Sunday mornings. If it is your preference to seek him in a church, then you will find him. Yet church is not the only place to find God, and if church is not for you do not give up the search of finding your God. Instead, take comfort in the fact that he has already found you and is leading you towards him in His own way. 

Loyally, 

Beth