Disrespecting God

Yesterday we were out of coffee, so as part of Father's Day, Caryn drove to Starbucks and bought me a caramel latte. This was right before church, but I really wanted to drink it, so I brought it with me as I walked the four blocks to church.

Now, you may attend a church that encourages people to drink coffee, smoke a pipe, or wear their swimsuit during corporate worship, but I don't. In spite of a slow shift toward casual dress, people still wear "Sunday clothes"; clothes that are just a little nicer than what they wear the rest of the week.

As I carried my coffee, knowing that some people might frown upon bringing coffee into the sanctuary, I thought about what I would do if someone said to me, "I don't think it's respectful to God to drink coffee during church." (You could fill in whatever else you want: wear ripped jeans, dance, laugh, use videos, etc.)

This is when it occurred to me: It is ridiculous to think that we can disrespect God.

God is not on our level. Can we be disrespected by a bunny? (Maybe.) It's a silly question to entertain. God is not disrespected if I wear shorts to church. God is not disrespected if drink coffee during worship. God does not take in personally if don't sing along with "Shine, Jesus, Shine". My kids don't disrespect me, they just want to keep playing with their toys. In the same way, the things we do don't disrespect God because God is never trite enough to take our actions as a personal affront.

This makes it even more amazing that somehow, God does care about what we do. Little me, acting in my little corner of the world, going about my business, has cosmic importance. In the eyes of God, my life is just as important as Napoleon, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Carrot Top, Osama Bin Laden, my next-door neighbor, Bono, Warren Buffet, Steven King, and my kids. The choices we make matter to God.

These aren't just the choices like who to marry or what job to accept. These are only the decisions that we tell ourselves are the most important, but size doesn't matter to God the way it matters to us. There are no small decisions to God. There are no big decision. There are only daily decisions about how we spend our time (and money), follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and reflect back the love we have received.

The Good News: God cares about me.

The mind-blowing next step: God cares about what I do.