For the first time in about 10 years I was a guest at a funeral. The funeral was for my step dad's father, who had lung cancer. It was a traditional catholic funeral (also my first time at one of it's kind) at the families church.
At many times I had the opportunity to reflect on my own life, and who I'm blessed enough to have in it. I've realized that I haven't really lost anyone in my tight circle to death. I've obviously lost distant relatives to it, but nothing life altering.
One thought that ran through my head today has stuck with me though. While the priest was talking about scripture, and about how we might have a more worldly view of heaven, nobody has really seen it. There's obviously been people who have claimed to have died, seen it and come back, but I'm talking about the other 98% of us.
A part of scripture that he mentioned was how our eyes have never seen, and our ears have never heard (what's in heaven) so we can't really make assumptions. Fact is, it is beyond our wildest imagination, something that is just so beautiful beyond worldly imagination.
Now, many times I have mentioned on twitter about, what exactly is heaven? Is it what we individually consider to be heaven? Will my view have lots of tennis courts and baseball diamonds and things I like..because to me, I'd be in "heaven" if I was surrounded by that. Or is it this one common place that everyone there sees for the same? I'm starting to think so.
Anyways, while the priest was talking about that a question popped into my head. "Do we follow Christ and worship him because we love him just as he loves us, or do we do it selfishly, in wanting to get to heaven?". When you think about it, obviously someone of a certain faith believes in that faith, okay, but there's more to it.
Religion goes further than believing in something or someone. Because in being religious we do something called worship. So, why do we worship? Why don't we just go on living our lives, believing in a higher being, but not doing much besides that?
I think it's safe to say, some of us do. There are people out there who believe in God but do not consider themselves religious, those aren't the people I want to focus on though. I'm talking about those who go to church every Sunday, sing their hearts out, pray, read the Bible, all of that stuff. Why do we do it?
It's mentioned in the Bible God was lonely, that's why he created us, so in that some of us want to give that love back. But behind that, isn't there some selfish motive? Aren't we just sort of doing that in order to get to heaven and have eternal life, and not..you know, go to hell?
So what group are those who do that in? Well personally, I don't think there is a group just for that because we all do. Let's face it, if there wasn't any reward in worshiping God, would half of us do it? Probably not even 95% of Christian's would. They'd say they would, but it's hard to imagine being of a different faith and having a different view from that of which you've grown up in.
So, lets ask ourselves; Why do we worship God? & what can we do as followers of Christ to strengthen our faith beyond those selfish, personal reasons?
