You Go Goose!

Lately I've been reflecting on how so many things we do are acts of worship to God. Certainly, ther are many ways to worship God and many levels and degrees of worshiping God. Also most certainly, God delights in them all. He created us to love us and to have a relationship with us, and that we would, in return, love Him and worship Him. I John 4:19 states that, "we love Him because He first loved us."

Whenever we do what we were created to do, we are pleasing, and therefore worshiping God. When you work, you are worshiping God. When you excercise, you are worshiping God. When you are talking to a friend, you are worshiping God. When I kiss my wife, I am worshiping God. When we sleep, we are worshiping God; certainly to a different degree than when we are putting our heart, body, and soul into prayer and song, but it's still pleasing to God. God chose to create us to sleep; he didn't have to. When we don't sleep, there are consequences. When we don't excercise, there are consequences. When you don't have freinds, there are consequences. And yes....if I was to stop kissing my wife, there would be negative consequences in my marriage relationship as well.

God created us to enjoy his creation. He also created the earth to enjoy it Himself, including all of nature! James 1:17 tells us that "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.." That means going out for a hike or walk or swim at the beach is very pleasing to God. I know He loves it when we are doing these things and especially when we tell Him why and how much we are enjoying them! God loves the crashing waves and the swaying trees. He didn't have to make them crash and sway, He wanted to. He enjoys it, and since we are created in His image, we enjoy it too. The waves are doing what they were created to do, and so are the trees. They are pleasing God.

Not long ago I was riding in my van on the way to work. Just above me, there was a magnificent flock of Canadian geese flying south. They were in a wonderful formation, each in their place. They were flying as hard as they could, for all they were worth, on a direct course and vocally communicating as they pushed along. Tears filled my eyes as it occurred to me that they were worshiping God. They didn't really understand it, they were just putting everything they had into doing what they were created to do....wow..

I'm begining to think of alot of things as worship. It's worship whether I realize it or not; I'm just now begining to realize it more. It's not a substitute for praying, singing, or traditional ideas of worship, it's an addition to it!

So next time you go for a walk with or without the dog, a drive, go to work, hold hands with the one you love, take a nap, or go for a swim; try to think about it from God's pleased and smiling perspective.

And next time you see a flock, remember to say, as my good friend Brad said after listening to my story, "You Go Goose!"

-jeff