Like a Glove...

Have you ever owned a pair of gloves? If you're in Ohio I'm sure you have. I've had several different pairs of gloves over the years, and none of them really fit well. I want some that are waterproof because you always have to handle snow in the winter. But they're so big and clunky that you have no grip on anything. So I've tried the form fitting ones, but they're always made of cloth. The second they get wet, your hands are cold for the rest of the day. I've never really found a nice pair of gloves that fit.

I think churches are like gloves. They fit some people, and don't others. And you have to search through all the different churches until you find one that fits snug. Its a really hard thing to do. You can always settle, though. The church doesn't quite fit, I can't really get a good grip on things, but its close by. Save some gas money. The church is my denomination... I don't like anyone there, but I can't go to any other denomination. I like another church, but its far away. My family goes to this church, I don't want to leave them behind. I've spent so much time in this church, I can't just leave them... they're my spiritual family. On and on. The gloves don't quite fit, but I'll just deal with it.

Should we? Should we just settle on a church for these reasons? I don't know, that sounds wrong to me. Right now, I have no church. I've stopped going to my parent's church, which I grew up in. Its a wonderful little church, full of loving people, but I don't fit anymore. I outgrew the gloves. I finally gained the courage to leave when an old family friend and church member heard I wanted to leave and said, "Go, there's nothing here for you anymore." She saw how the gloves were stretching at the seams, and that they didn't work for me anymore. I counted it as the church's blessing for me to move on. So I did.

But now I'm in that awkward church shopping phase. You feel like a mooch, coming in and taking for a Sunday or two and leaving nothing behind. But that's what it is. You try a church on for a little while, and if it doesn't fit you move on. Since I decided to leave Grace Brethren, I've been to two different churches, one of them for at least four Sundays. And you know what? It is a very nice pair of gloves. I don't really see anything wrong with them. But they don't really... fit. I'm kind of sad about it too. Because its a young church full of vibrant people, they have good music, tons of ministries, and the Pastor gives, truly amazing sermons. I've grown from each one. And yet...

There's something missing. I've been told several times lately that the right church will feel like home. That's a comforting thought, because I love home. And churches are homes, homes of your spiritual family, its God's HOUSE. If we're most comfortable in our own homes, how much more should we be in the home of our Lord? I desire that deeply, and I don't think I ever really have. I want that second home full of family where I can grow and put back into. So although this church I've been going to is a really, very nice pair of gloves... I can't just settle for that.

I need a home. And I won't stop looking until I find it.