All of Your Life Is Worship
When I think about what it looks like to live a life of worship, I think of things like fervent prayer time, worshiping God at church, giving sacrificially to missions, and Bible study.
And while an obedient Christian woman's life will encompass each of these aspects, that's really not what my life looks like most of the time. Most of the time, my life looks and feels very unspiritual.
It's not that I'm pursuing worldly passions or only living for Jesus on Sundays. No, it's just that most of my waking (and sleeping!?) hours are filled with dirty diapers, breastfeeding, grocery lists, and scraping dried avocado and mashed banana off the high chair..
I get to feeling "behind" and like the rest of the world is passing me by while I vacuum the kitchen rug and bathe the kids. Most of the tasks I do all day would be considered "menial" work by worldly standards.
And so, when I started to really "get" Romans 12:1, I was amazed:
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1 ESV) Present my body. My physical body -- my hands, some elbow grease, and an aching back. The wrinkles, gray hairs, and widened hips of pregnancy. Present my energy, my strength, my mind.
Present my body for what purpose? As a sacrifice.
And how does a holy God receive a sacrifice? He consumes it.
"...let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29 ESV) God has called me to offer my very body as a LIVING SACRIFICE to Him. I am set apart for His use and pleasure, to be consumed in whatever way He chooses. He is the Potter, and I am the clay. I praise God that I am made an acceptable sacrifice because of the Son of God who was a DEATH SACRIFICE on my behalf!
As I treasure and savor this Savior in prayer and through His word, I am "transformed by the renewal of [my] mind" (Romans 12:2). His grace proves sufficient for me, not only to accomplish the day's tasks, but to walk by faith and with joy in the good works that He has prepared for me. My "menial" work has meaning since it is my offering -- my acceptable service of worship -- to the Maker of heaven and earth.
What does a LIVING SACRIFICE look like? How do women offer their very bodies to God, when their bodies are so busy nursing babies and scrubbing countertops, dressing for the office and reviewing reports, or fighting through disease or physical challenges?
At the Arabah Joy Blog, I write about some of these challenges and how women in various seasons can offer their lives in worship to God. I invite you to join me there as we consider how God designed for mundane tasks to be our spiritual worship.
