View from the Floor: The Heart of the Matter, Part 25 (Praising)
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one
another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with
gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through
him." (Col 3:16-17 NIV)
We were aboard the ferry from St. John, New Brunswick, heading
for Nova Scotia. We had decided to take the ferry to save time, but I was so
exhausted from getting up early enough to catch our boat that I fell asleep in a
seat in the lounge area of the ferry.
I woke up sometime later, and wiring myself with my Ipod, I joined in the praise
service in my heart. I stood up then and went for a walk, when all of sudden,
out of nowhere, a youngster pushed me out of the way and ran passed. I hadn't
seen him and it was inevitable: I fell flat on the floor!
There went my pride!
I found myself with two choices: I could either enjoy the view from the floor
for a while, or I could stand up as if nothing had happened, hoping that
everyone in the lounge was not staring at me. Reprimanding the young culprit was
actually far from my mind, and it was just as well, because he had long since
disappeared!
I decided on the second option, and as I did, I realized no one had even noticed
my short flying expedition.
Except for an elderly lady that is: "Are you OK?" She asked with concern.
"Just a bruised ego," I answered.
Interestingly, the whole ordeal didn't even faze me.
How differently I would have reacted in my younger years! Even though I still
consider myself the worst of sinners, I guess God has been at work in me. I also
believe that the power of praise helped me focus on what does and doesn't matter
in life, and this is when I remembered: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever
you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Cor 10:31 NIV)
Even falling flat on the floor can be done for the glory of God!
Too often we miss out by not staying connected with God. It really doesn't
matter where we are, be it in prison or at work (Some think there is no
difference between the two), or perhaps on a tropical island. Personally, I
would prefer that one over the other two, but wherever we are we can "do it all
for the glory of God."
Miracles are often missed by our attitude. We are not too prone to burst into
song and shout for joy, especially amidst the worst turmoil of our lives. If we
did however, we might experience life quite differently. We would expect the
unexpected. We would anticipate what no one else anticipates. We would prepare
ourselves for a miracle.
"Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for
joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate
woman than of her who has a husband," says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your
tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes." (Isa 54:1-2 NIV)
Any bareness in our lives, may it be from lack of children or lack of Spiritual
fruit (See Gal 5:22-23) can melt into fertility beyond
bounds. This is why we are encouraged to "enlarge the place of our tent", for
then we would expect living
a life where everything we do is "for the glory of God".
It's true, the view from the floor can be very tempting to most of us (Myself
included!), but believe me, the view from the mountain top is much more
rewarding!
Rob Chaffart