^“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Act 2:42 (NIV)

I count myself lucky to have been raised attending church. My parents instilled in me the importance of church as part of our daily life. I attended church kindergarten (long before public schools offered kindergarten as an option) and was an active participant in every group offered for my age from the cradle to college. My friends all attended church too. Basically, if the doors of the church were open, we were there. I guess you could say I grew up in the church. 

As often happens, there is a segment of my life (a few years) where I was not involved in church. Those were my college years. I was not the kid that went away to school and joined the faith-based religious groups you see on most campuses. I was just too busy and, quite frankly, uninterested. Rising early for classes, studying late into the evening, hanging out with friends into the morning hours, and sleeping in on Sundays kept my focus elsewhere. I wanted to spread my wings and do my own thing to which you may relate.

Settling down and getting married, my husband (who also grew up in church) and I began our life together and, somewhat naturally in time, made church membership a priority. 

Membership was a priority; however, attendance wasn’t always at the top of our list. That is, not until we had children. Becoming a parent has a way of making you feel unqualified and a little bit helpless. Suddenly you have this tiny human for which you are totally responsible and nothing you have done or read has prepared you for the experience or the feelings that go along with it. 

Young, married, and now parents, church moved back to the top of the list of places to be. We realized we needed church. Not the building, but the fellowship. The fellowship with God, of course, but also other Christians. 

None of us were meant to do this (life) on our own. 

Now that our kids are young adults, I see them in the same pattern. As a parent, I tend to try to find ways to encourage faithfulness through the way that I live. On the occasion that I recommend church attendance and membership, one of my children has said more than once, “If I sit in the garage, it doesn’t make me a car … sitting in church doesn’t make me a Christian.” 

It is hard to argue with this logic. It’s true. We put a refrigerator in the garage five years ago and it is still a refrigerator. So no … sitting in church doesn’t make you a Christian; however, joining and actively participating in a church community helps you grow as a Christian and offers so many other benefits. 

Churches are filled with imperfect people, not perfect Christians. Membership and attendance at church is a way to stay connected with your faith finding strength and encouragement from other people like you. It is a way to stay close to God and His teachings. 

Some people wait until things go wrong before they step into church – a last resort. There is nothing wrong with that, but when that happens that one step seems like a giant leap. To be among a group of believers through the good times and the bad doesn’t require such a leap when you’re at the end of your rope.

I park my car in the garage to protect it from the elements. When I don’t and there is a hard frost, I spend a good deal of time thawing the car out and scraping the windshield. The same way the garage protects my car, the church is a refuge for my soul. When a season of hard frost batters my being, I am already wrapped in the warmth and protection of my God with the prayerful support of others as well.

Just something to think about when Sunday rolls around and you think should I stay home, or should I go … you should go. I guarantee you will receive a blessing for your efforts. 

Remember:

 ^“let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” 

Hebrews 10:22-25