maybe it was the oranges...

Last night as I was driving to the Prayer Supper, I was thinking about this blog and how long it's been since I've posted and how I have nothing (good) to say and so what's the point...  I was trying to figure out why I seem to have nothing to offer in this place and a word popped into my head:

navel gazing 





I received this cute card years ago from a cousin.
I wish I could remember what it said, but
I think she gave it to me, because this exactly
what I looked like as a child! :)

Maybe it was because I bought some big, beautiful navel oranges at the supermarket that morning, but as this term rolled around in my mind, I thought of how preoccupied I've been with myself; how I've been looking at the world, my circumstances, things and people through my own eyes of discontent.  Who wants to read about that?? 



Part of the reason I took a break from blogging last spring, was because I was beginning to notice a trend toward the negative in my writing.  (Unfortunately, this comes all to easily.)  While I have no desire to try and paint a "my life is so rosy and perfect" picture, I also committed to refraining from what I call "rebellious ranting."  This is where I just tell you all the junk in my life and leave it there.  I don't believe that's what God wants for me to share here or to live in my life.  Yes, there is junk.  Plenty!  But I refuse to dump my troubles off here without any sense of hope... I'm afraid if I started that, I would never ever stop.



So as I reached the half-way point of my drive to the church, I wondered what the opposite of navel gazing would be and immediately one word came to mind:

WORSHIP

Hmm.  Not service?  Not peace?

No, I thought, for only when my eyes are fixed on the Lord can I truly see life and the world, my circumstances and people as He sees them.  Only when I truly understand who He is, what He's done and is doing, will my life have meaning and purpose and value.

I almost wanted to keep driving past Charleswood Road so I could continue thinking and praying about these things, but alas, my van automatically turned into the parking lot where I arrived late to the teaching time of our monthly prayer supper nights.  It was 15 minutes into the Prayer:Remix DVD we had planned to watch, and I settled in quickly to try and figure out what Louie Giglio was going to share about prayer.

Giglio confronted the idea of how we usually pray (Dear Lord, thank you for this day, bless me, my family, the events of the day, forgive my sins, in Jesus' name, amen.) and suggested we start by understanding and acknowledging that we are blessed.  That the blessing promised to Abraham was fulfilled in Jesus and poured out on us, His followers, and that there is no further need to request God's blessing.  He has already given us everything we need!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."

Ephesians 1:3

This is worship!  Eyes off of me, and on to Him.



What if we chose to "remix" the way we pray and begin and end by acknowledging all we have and all we are in and through Christ? 

Would I even be able to begin to look for my navel?