Getting out of bed & going to church

Believe it or not, there are days when I don't want to get out of bed and go to worship. Since I'm a pastor, that may come as a surprise. But it's true. There are days when I just don't want to do it. Last week was one. I had a rough night of sleep the night before, a brutal time getting the kids ready, it was ugly outside and I thought "Man, it would be nice to just stay home." I can't do that, obviously. I have responsibilities, and while I'm sure that if I had an emergency folks would pitch in and things would go OK, that's not something to do just because I "don't feel like going."

But here's the thing: I'm glad I have those responsibilities because they make me go. You see, God deserves my worship whether I feel like going or not. And being in a relationship means sometimes doing things you don't feel like doing for the good of the relationship. It's good for my relationship with God for me to go, even if it's not what I would choose. So I'm glad for those responsibilities. God is important to me, worship is important to me, and accepting those responsibilities helps me stick to my priorities and helps me keep my relationship with God strong. I'm glad for that, and I'm glad I went that day even though I didn't want to. Not because of what I got out of it, but just because it was the right thing to do.