Last month, as Wade got ready to go away to camp, he asked if I would take care of something while he was away. You see, he’d started learning Russian on the Duolingo app a few weeks prior, and, because phones aren’t allowed at camp, he was concerned about breaking his streak of completing a lesson every day. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to do Russian, but could start a different language, or math, or chess (I chose math). When I went to camp to pick him up after a week away, one of his first questions was, “Did you do my Duolingo?”
 |
| Photo by appshunter.io on Unsplash |
I had! I diligently logged in each day to complete the math lessons (though I had not been expecting so many fractions and exponents!), earn gems, and continue the streak. It had even crossed the 30 day mark while under my care, so I got to enjoy the fireworks and celebrations of the little green owl mascot before turning everything back over to Wade.
This kind of attentiveness to a habit reminded me of this verse from Acts 2:42 - They [the new believers] devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
In our life of faith, participation in faith practices is not a competition. There are no stickers or badges or fireworks for attending church three weeks in a row or reading the Bible for thirty days and counting. The streak is not the point, but we still encourage one another to show up regularly. Why? Because we benefit from worship, fellowship, learning, and time in community. We gather to hear God’s Word and share in the Communion meal because that’s where God promises to show up, granting us salvation, forgiveness, and life. Through these faith practices, we become more connected to God and one another, and more attuned to how God is at work in the world.
Yes, like the early believers, we devote ourselves to these practices so that we might be strengthened, encouraged, and nourished for life together in the world God loves. And yet, there may be moments or seasons in our lives when it feels too hard to keep up a “streak”, whether because of grief, overwhelm, unrelenting schedules, illness, or doubt. In those moments, we rejoice in the fellowship of believers who pray, sing, and confess on our behalf, when all we can do is show up quietly or not at all. Most of all, we give thanks for Jesus, who has done the work for us, granting us faith as a gift - unmerited, unearned, freely given.
To what are you devoting yourself and your time these days? What faith practices are sustaining you? Where do you need the community to show up on your behalf, taking over for a while? How might we help strengthen and support you?
Comments
Post a Comment