I’m taking a blogging break in the month of December. During my break, I’m reposting some old blogs. This one originally appeared in November of 2011.
Worship is not about the pursuit of the warm fuzzy.
Years ago in church, while I sang along with the music, there was a sweet sensation that would overtake my body. It was like that feeling when you’re first falling in love with someone. I felt all warm and tingly inside and simply overtaken with emotion. Warm fuzzies. Ahhhh…
God wants us to feel loved and wants us to love Him. Warm fuzzies aren’t all bad. Sometimes God gives us those feelings to encourage us. But when worship becomes all about the pursuit of the warm fuzzy, it becomes a problem.
All was well and good in my worship world as long as my warm fuzzies weren’t interrupted. Then suddenly, they were gone, and I didn’t know what to do. I still don’t know what to do.
I’ve known all along that worship isn’t about good feelings for me. It’s giving back to God what He has given to me. It’s honoring Him and obeying Him. It’s thanking Him for all the good things in my life, even when I don’t feel there is much good.
Even though I knew this in my head, my heart was still way confused when the happy feelings went away. Without the warm fuzzies, it’s like worship isn’t worship.
To be totally honest, I think it’s God who took the warm fuzzies away. And I think He did it on purpose. Why?
To challenge me.
To push me out of my comfort zone.
To remind me what true worship is.
So I suppose it’s time to redefine my worship. If it’s not about the warm fuzzies, what is it really about? What should I be focused on if it’s not a big bear hug from God?
Here’s a few ideas to get me started:
- God’s goodness. Although sometimes it feels “overdone,” it’s so true, and so important.
- God’s mercy. I am a spoiled little brat. I don’t know why He puts up with me.
- God’s grace. Grace is a really beautiful thing.
Again, these are all things I know, but don’t… know. Trying to figure out how to focus on them is still a challenge.
I believe we are wrong if our pursuit is to feel good. Our pursuit should be the truth; sometimes it makes us feel good and sometimes it makes us feel damn bad. Hopefully knowing the truth in worship helps move us closer to God.
Wilderness experiences aren’t the funnest seasons, but I can say I wouldn’t appreciate the breakthrough times without the wilderness. It’s all a process, the questions, Where’d You go? Why? That’s all part of it. Dark Night of the Soul explains a lot of that. Tough read, but well worth it.