Bone Chilling Cold...

It has been cold this week, bone-chilling cold. I know that it is supposed to be cold during February in the Midwest, but this cold is colder than usual. It has to do with a Polar Vortex and Artic air… I don’t understand all the science behind it, I just know it’s cold. In contrast to the cold here, I have family living in Arizona where it is 75 degrees today. Some of my nieces and nephews have been raised in Phoenix and actually get “cold” when the temps dip into the 60’s. They have a hard time understanding what a 3 degree day in Illinois is like. Similarly, I have a hard time understanding why someone would live in a place that gets as warm as 120 degrees in the summertime (the idea of a “dry heat” makes no sense to me...hot is hot). I suppose when it all comes down to it, these things are a matter of perspective. My family is accustomed to the changing temperatures of the Midwest, while my nieces and nephews have grown accustomed to the variations in temperature that come with living in a desert. 

As a family, we have different temperaments and preferences. Sometimes these are so wide and varied that it can make an outsider wonder, “how are these people related”. At other times, there is no doubt we are cut from the same cloth. I marvel at the differences and similarities often. In the end, we are family, and we take care of each other. 

When the family of Christ is healthy, the same dynamic occurs. I think the most obvious way this is observed in the Church is through worship styles. Some churches have very ritualized worship styles, while others are very charismatic and dynamic. Some churches sing only acapella music, while others may use orchestral instruments, or even contemporary music. The common denominator is the belief structure. Regardless of how we worship, we all believe the same basic tenets of the Christian belief system. 

There is beauty in that. 

The beauty is found in the fact that God has created each of us, and we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 119:34). Because God has taken to the time to put that much love, thought, and care into each of his creations, it stands to reason that he understands and delights in the uniqueness of each of us. In that delight, I think he understands our longing for people who are like us, and even more so when we can give our worship back to him with those people who are like us. 

This week, find your people and worship with them. Whether it be online, or in person. Find the people who love to offer praise back to the Lord in the same way you do, and worship with them. God delights in this worship. He created us this way, so let's engage in it with our people.