Hookey

I played hookey today from church. My family and I have been out of town for four days and got in late Saturday night. We unpacked and watched "Elf." I love that movie. "Hey Buddy, hope you find your dad." Midnight the movie was just ending and we knew that our family needed to regroup so we decided to stay home Sunday. There is a lot to be said for taking it easy on a Sunday. Preparing for the upcoming week, tying up loose ends, resting and recuperating were much needed for all of us. I am a firm believer that missing a Sunday morning service now and then is a necessary thing. Don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in corporate worship, but you won't go to hell for not having perfect church attendance. Funny thing about playing church hookey, is that it allowed me to run at the same time all the church goers were walking into their stained glass windowed buildings.

I can't stand it when another runner passes me without acknowledging that I'm there. A simple "hi" or a slight wave is all it takes to let me know that I am on your radar. Please know, that this rarely, and I mean rarely ever happens. Other runners who are in their vehicles, honk, wave, yell, even turn around and drive back by. I love it. It makes me try harder, do better. It encourages me.

On my five mile trek this morning I passed several churches, four in a one mile stretch. As I passed each church, people were walking in, holding the door open for each other, hurrying to get out of the cold drizzle, laughing, carrying on conversations. What none of them did spoke louder to me than anything else. No one waved at me. Not one person said good morning. Not a single church goer even look at me. As I approached each house of worship, everyone, I kid you not, put their heads down and focused on the ground. No one acknowledge that I was there. I really don't get it. How could they act like this? "You are going into the house of God, yet you can't offer a kind word to a man on the sidewalk outside your building." I started to get angry. Very angry. I don't want anyone to think that I am anything like these people. A person so focused on going to church that they forget the main reason why they are there; to bring more people into the kingdom of God.

Maybe I'm being to hard on them. It was dreary outside. It was cold. It was rainy. Whatever the reason, I could have used some encouragement and a simple "hi" or wave would have gone along way. Maybe, just maybe they are so used to looking at the world through rose colored stained glass windows that they don't see the people wading through the darkness present in the world outside.

Just wave, just say "hi." Everyone could use some encouragment.