“Whenever you pray, be sincere and not like the pretenders who love the attention they receive while praying before others in the meetings and on street corners. Believe me, they’ve already received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your innermost chamber and be alone with Father God, praying to him in secret.” (Matthew 6:5-6 TPT)
In the last post, I wrote about why so many people are leaving organized religion. Statistics and articles about this subject are more than a curiosity for me. While I am still affiliated with a certain traditional church, I have been trudging through the outskirts of this system for some time now. I have been taking my time, finding alternate ways to worship and serve Christ. There is a new sense of urgency now. In my private communications with sincere Christians, a few have expressed that they no longer want to be affiliated with any church organizations.
I feel like an immigrant in a foreign country who is trying to help even more recent immigrants. I am still figuring out the wilderness. My faith journey is littered by habit, guilt, and obligations. On days that I feel extremely disoriented, I go back to the familiar, old ways. There is comfort in belonging to a community. Like others, I crave spiritual companionship, encouragement, accountability, and support. Yet, I also sense that I need to leave these cozy confines and strike out with Christ.
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