a quick thought

A Christian writer named Eugene Peterson holds to a belief that the act of worship is essential to people. That we are made for it and our lost without it. That our focus cannot leave ourselves and that we our enslaved to to our feelings of shame without worship that invites us to look out and see God and realize how ridiculous it is to ever suppose that we could make ourselves okay to begin with. In this process we find that we have immense value in the very fact that we matter to this infinite and amazing God. We also recognize how much we need God and our illusions of self-sufficiency begin to fade away.

I am dependent on this process. Without I begin to see myself as far too important and far too much of a failure. I lose my ability to see God and to be astonished at who He is. The world becomes about me and I become very depressed indeed.

I think maybe this is why I am a Christian. Without worship my life spirals out of control. Worship is north on my compass (so I have never actually used a compass, but people who do seem to find it terribly important). I can only worship something that I truly believe to be greater than I can ever strive to be, which is why human heroes always fell short. This left God. A God who cares and a God who allows Himself to be accessible.

I think I am being called to get back to the simplicity of my younger faith. God is good. Worship is something that He deserves and brings me great satisfaction to do. Inviting others into this life is good is good for both parties.

This seems simple and to be honest is not a complete theology, but I think this is all I can truly cling to in this moment.

Worship is maybe the only truly free thing I do. Maybe that is why Eugene Peterson argues for its importance.

Thoughts?