It was as if I felt a weight lift off of my chest and I could breathe! That’s what I experienced right in the middle of worship this past Sunday and it wasn’t because the music was “moving me.” This was the first time for Nathan, Izzy, and me to be back at church since April. Man oh man did I miss it

I really didn’t think about any of that each Sunday, watching service on our TV, while either eating breakfast or entertaining Izzy. But to be hit with that reality, it’s what I needed. It made me realize a few other things too!

I know some have the argument that “I don’t need to go to church because I can watch it at home,” and have used it even before COVID shut things down. I’ve also heard, “Well, I’ve been hurt too much by churches,” and “Well, I pray and sing to worship songs every day, so I don’t need to go anywhere Sunday.” But I will tell you, these are horrible arguments and bad reasons for not finding a church home. And I realized it first-hand this Sunday, standing there, with tears in my eyes, singing as if no one else except God and I were in that auditorium.

Church isn’t just a building, some music, and a sermon, with the occasional Sunday school tossed in. Church is a body of believers that are there, thick and thin, worshiping and studying and learning and praising God together, reminding you that you’re not doing this life thing alone.

It’s a place to be embraced by people that may be going through what you’re going through or can guide you to someone who does. Church should give you the refreshment you desperately need and the knowledge that could help you throughout the week.

But yes, church is also a place full of broken human beings, with flaws they either are working on or are struggling to face, right as we speak. It’s also a place where, because of those struggles, people may not know how to respond to what you’re going through. And yes, every church is different, so it may take time for you to find “the best fit.”

But isn’t that everywhere we go, and everywhere we look online? Isn’t that who you and I are? So what better place to find healing, find care, find a listening ear, and find hope than with others who can say, “Hey, don’t worry. You’ve got this!”

So, I want to encourage you, if your church is opening back up or is having childcare once again, GO!

Trust me, you won’t regret it!