Is it a balancing act, a deliberate choice, or simply yielding to the happiness of another? I guess it depends on what issue you are compromising on and who the other party is. For me it's what church should I attend at present. I really enjoyed going to a church near the train station in Manhattan a few years ago but getting there on the weekends after working two jobs has been a challenge. Yesterday I finally did get there despite the very bad hot weather. By the time I got back, I loved the service but felt like I'd scheduled my whole day around the weekend train schedule. I spend a lot of my time yielding or compromising my time management to a train time table every single work day.
I'm starting to wonder if Satan playing a nasty trick on me about going to church. He knows that I would rather spend the entire day doing what I want, when I want. But I also really enjoy listening to a sermon and worship music live and of course fellowshipping with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Since I graduated from college, I've been to over 4 churches and still haven't found one that's close and has good stuff like preaching and cool but fruitful group outings.
It's my own fault that I was raised in a strictish (not parents but the church) culture of do this not that, or else! It took me a long time to distinguish between what was actually wrong in God's eyes (aka sin) and people's interpretation's of what sin is.
For example, going to church. The Bible does not say that Christians must go to church between the hours of 9am and 12 noon for Sunday School followed by the traditional sermon (or corporate worship) hour. In the church I grew up in, I had the sermon service first with weekly communion (yes kids that ~52 sunday mornings of matzo then grape juice) In my opinion, it should be in reverse so you can swallow the dry cracker but hey Jesus' body was broken then his blood was shed, samantics :)
I met George at a church in NJ that met at night inside a traditional church but was anything but. It had rock music (the Devil's music to my grandmother), candles on the stage with dramatic fabric draping as well as dark lighting (all the easier to slip in and out at your own will my dear). Now I bet you're wondering, Maggie how did you met George if he was always in the dark. Well, I brought night-vision goggles to church of course! No, the essence of fellowship was going out to dinner afterwards at a local restaurant that loved the brisk Sunday night business we brought to their already popular eatery. I can't remember if I ever actually set next to George but he eventually got on my radar, but that's not where I'm going with this entry...
I spent over two years sleeping in Sunday mornings, doing my chores while my parent's were at their church then napping before heading out to my church in the late afternoon. Then I noticed a shift at the leadership of the church and repetition in the head preacher's sermons. I went to the church because I'd been OVER churched as a child. However, I was now in a church for new believers and those who'd been hurt by the church and were looking for a new way back in that was safe and accomodating. I was neither, technically, but I just liked (and still do) the simple variance the "contemporary, casual church". And I love the church in NYC.
The bottom line is this: going to a church WITH George is more important than me going to my NYC church solo. So I've asked him to give NYC another try when the fall teaching series starts up again. In the meantime, I'll grin and bear it at the NJ church and pray for peace and patience in my heart.
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