Sunday. Sabbath Ponderings.
I'm not exactly sure what that means. I probably should, because I'm the one who made it up. Whoops.
What I'm getting from paraphrasing it is "Sunday + Thoughts," so I'll go with that. Maybe this will take more shape in weeks to come. Maybe when I'm The Pioneer Woman people will come back to this post and smile at my clueless self-confusion. Maybe not. Ya never know, ya know?
I'll just jump right in. I could tell you that I'm going to a Baptist Church, but I didn't grow up Baptist. I could tell you that I didn't pick my church for the preaching, but it's a solid biblical church and no church is perfect so I am okay with that. I could tell you that I love the old people at my church a lot, but that's so off topic that this preteritio has now clearly fallen apart, so I'll continue to my earlier plan to jump right in.
Today the pastor started a three-week series on peace. He gave three points which he claimed would affect our relationships if we applied them:
1. maintain humility
2. respect differences
3. prioritize others
I have a problem. Now you may think that I'm about to list one (or, more likely, three!) of those from that list that I was convicted of today. I'm not. See, my problem is that I . . . hmm, how to put it (A succession of short sentences should do the trick!):
I correct pastors as I listen to them.
I think of rhetorical things they could improve in arrangement and delivery.
I finish their sentences, points, or sermons with what I (in my deep well of wisdom and knowledge) would say if I were speaking.
I imagine myself in their position and stop listening to them because I'm listening to myself.
So basically, I'm arrogant, stuck-up, and prideful as I listen to sermons.
And the result of this is that I keep myself from conviction and change. If I am fixing their words, I am not fixing my heart. If I am imagining a better story for an example, I am not making my story a better example. If I am thinking of what I would say, I am not thinking of what he is saying and how it can change me.
Interestingly, this relates to the things on the list. So excuse me while I take them out of context, but let me apply those to my failures to listen:
1. To better learn from sermons, I must maintain humility. To maintain humility, I must not correct the pastor's words to what I would say in assuming that I know better. I must tell myself over and over that I do not know better, or at least that I need to. . .
2. . . .respect differences. A pastor may like certain rhetorical flourishes that I dislike. Different preferences in gesticulations does not result in different positions in eternity. Ways of ordering a sermon that are not my favorite are also not sin. That pastor uses them, I wouldn't—okay. Good plan. Move on.
3. To better prioritize others, I must work on my attitude of humility and respect for differences. I must think of how glad I am to hear what they have to say. I must drown out my rude voice. I must affirm them in my head and listen with interest. There is a reason they are speaking and I must choose to learn from them.
There you have it. The first "Sabbath Ponderings" (nicely published on Monday) and a typical terse ending.
I hope my musings weren't too messy. Maybe that list of three will apply for you somewhere else in your life! I don't expect you to have the same pastor problem, but everyone needs to work on humility, respecting differences, and prioritizing others.
May we grow toward Him.
