Routine

I've taken an unconventional approach to lifestyle with regard to worship lately. In fact, I sort of always have, at least within the confines of my life as aimed toward God's glory. To elaborate, some might look at some of my activities, or often inactivities, and think to themselves that I'm living a lifestyle that isn't faithful to Christ. And for most of my life thus far, I might have agreed with that notion.

Having grown up for about half my life in the Catholic church, I've been exposed to a lot of their traditions. And while my family and I were never particularly devout about many of those traditions, that limited perception was just enough to puzzle me. I never understood the purpose of any of it. It was what I would nowadays consider religious, which, as I've indicated before, isn't really a compliment.

When I was a child, church was merely something we attended once a week. And it was every week; skipping it just wasn't something we did. And each week it was effectively the same. The same agenda, the same prayers, generally the same songs, and what sounded to me like the same sermon, week after week. We observed the seven sacraments, I had prayers and creeds memorized to recite collectively with the congregation, and I survived each mass by counting the routine landmarks I'd learned to recognize over the years. None of it made any sense to me, and I was positively euthanized by it. The only thing I recall lending any distinction between weeks was that there would sometimes be doughnuts and hot chocolate in the pavilion afterwards, which might make the eternal hour-long session worthwhile.

When you do something monotonous for a long period of time, but never really understand why, there isn't a whole lot in it about which to be passionate. Needless to say, that whole experience was a complete turnoff for me with regard to religion in general.

What I didn't understand, either because I wasn't taught it or it just didn't sink in, was that Christianity is alive. It's, as I've said several times before, more a relationship than a religion. As such, it can't be just a set of rituals done solely on ceremony. If it means nothing to the person, it's blindly following other people, which isn't really any better than living a life without Christ.

Before I progress, I should clarify something: I don't believe there's anything inherently wrong with Catholicism. For some people, that may be the right path. But that's only because they understand the purpose behind those rituals, and that manifestation of faith resonates with them personally. In that case, it is the organic aspect of real faith that's required for a relationship with Christ. Theirs just looks different from mine, and that diversity is a beautiful thing.

In my walk, things might not look so conventional to the strict religious types. Certainly I have some rituals and traditions to which I generally adhere. I attend church services almost every Sunday and Bible studies fairly regularly, and I keep devotionals almost every day. But I don't think those things are what indicate a healthy spiritual life with God. That being the case, missing any of those things for a day or two, or even a span of time, isn't a sign of unfaithfulness. At least not in the relationship itself. It merely shows the natural waxing and waning of activities within the confines of that relationship.

Likewise, some activities, like watching a suggestive movie or TV show, reading a questionable book, or playing a tacky game, might make outsiders wonder how I could even call myself a Christian. Especially when coupled with my woefully human tendency to sin. And of course, I try to keep my more edgy activities fairly low-profile in comparison, not because I feel I need to hide them, but because they aren't what my life is truly about. Nevertheless, when used in moderation, common ground with those who don't know Jesus lends the ability to relate to them, which is a powerful ministry tool.

My point in all of this is that a standard life isn't something to which we're called. Falling into a habit or routine of simply following the rules and rituals is something I believe could be more insidious to our faith than would be outright doubt. And although there are some things that are undebatably and literally gospel truth, the relationship itself is unique to everyone, and is prone to ebb, flow, and ultimately change drastically as it grows.