Someone told me about seeing a woman
with a necklace upon which hung two words:
SHOW UP. Those words are simple but
powerful. Someone once said that 90% of
success is simply showing up. There is a lot of
truth in that claim. Nothing much is possible if
you aren’t present. But if you do show up,
there’s no telling what might be possible.
Showing up is fundamental. It is the base
live of commitment. It is the minimal – but
important – evidence of investment in any
important venture. A student may not get all
A’s but if he or she consistently shows up and
pays attention in class that counts for a lot.
Showing up provides that opportunity for
education. Showing up displays an intention to
learn. Just being there makes a good
statement.
Showing up is indispensable for Christian
growth. Those who drift in and out of church
are not likely to grow. They miss the
opportunity. Growth in physical fitness is not
going to happen for someone who goes to the
gym only when the mood hits him or her. It
happens by showing up consistently and doing
some exercise, even if not a great deal, whether
in the mood or not. To exercise just when the
mood hits increases the chance of getting a
pulled muscle and causing pain without gain.
I’ve known some people who have claimed
that the single most important indication of
spiritual health is faithful attendance in church.
Perhaps that view is a bit excessive. We can
easily think of people who have been in church
every time the doors are open yet they are
mean, insensitive and morally unscrupulous.
Still for Christian spirituality, showing up in
worship is crucial both as evidence of spiritual
seriousness and as a means of spiritual growth.
Christian spirituality is not something that
develops primarily in our private life. It is
something that develops in a faith community.
As we pray, sing, learn and serve with others,
our Lord is present among us. “Where two or
three are gathered in my name, I am with
them,” taught Jesus. Commitment to him and
commitment to a particular body of people are
two parts of one spiritual reality. Showing up
before the Lord is not always something best
done alone. This is because God has chosen to
use other people to convey God’s grace, truth
and love to us. And God uses us as a means of
blessing for others, often in subtle ways of
which we are not aware. When we don’t show
up we miss out on the working of God for us
through others and through us for others.
My spiritual life is not just all about me. Your
spiritual life is not just all about you. It’s about
us. We come together in church to get and to
give, to gain and to contribute, to receive from
others and to offer to others. Your presence
matters both for you and for others. And, so,
as the woman’s necklace put it, SHOW UP for
your self and for others.
Grace and Peace,
Craig