Fed Up?

Fed Up?

Publication: The Lookout

Date: April 30, 2006

Column: First Look

Category: Service; Missions

I like to travel and meet new people, so I have fond memories of my trips to Ethiopia, Japan, Australia, and other far-away places. But I don't enjoy sitting for 12 hours or more on a flight across the ocean.

Airlines break up the long stretches of time with announcements, movies, and food—lots of food. On a flight from Oregon to Korea I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I drank several Cokes and bottles of water, and mindlessly consumed the little bags of pretzels and peanuts the stewards kept tossing my way. I arrived in Seoul tired of sitting and over-stuffed from over-eating, only to discover my gracious Korean hosts had prepared a full-course meal to welcome me, including American-style hamburgers. Not wanting to offend, I ate some more; but after sitting so long I needed exercise and rest, not more food.

Do you ever feel over-stuffed at church? Have you sat so long you feel glued to the pew? Have you heard so many formal prayers you can quote them by memory even before the elders say the words?

Are you fed up with church members who back-stab, back-slide, back-bite, and back out of their commitments?

Are you sick of wrangling over how things should be done? Are you tired of unsingable music? Does your worship leader choose songs you find more frustrating than inspiring?

Are you worn out by shallow and irrelevant sermons, fake smiles, and overly-predictable orders of worship? Does the sword of the Spirit have a dull edge in your Bible class? Is your small group small-minded? Are you fed up with church?

Things won't change for the better until we get fed up with the way things are.

Here's an idea: Serve somebody! Stop taking in and start giving out.

Find your "GOP" (your Gift, Opportunity, and Passion) and get busy doing what God created you to do.

Don't close yourself off from others. Find a neighbor who needs a friend. Find a young Christian who needs a mentor. Open your home and show hospitality. Open your checkbook and give at a level of generosity that stretches your faith.

Go on a mission trip. Coach a Little League team. Mow the lawn for the elderly couple down the street. Pick up your hammer and build a Habitat for Humanity house. Pray for your minister and give his family a gift card for a meal at their favorite restaurant. Visit shut-ins and bake them a cake. Write encouragement notes to missionaries and church members who could use a lift.

Obviously we need to consume spiritual food. Important things happen when we gather for worship, share in the Lord's Supper, and listen to a preacher explain God's Word. But there's only so much we can take. Eventually we need to get some exercise.

So get off the pew and into the zoo. Don't just sit there—feed somebody.

Soon you'll be too busy to complain. And you might just find your spiritual appetite coming back.