My great-grandparents wore their church attendance as a badge of honor, even so much as keeping a tally of the times they had missed services in their lives (for illness, hospitalization, and other major reasons). I'm not making fun of this or them. I respect them very much for holding to their convictions.
If, while I was growing up, my family did end up missing a Sunday morning church service, we usually watched TV preachers to make up for it. This gave me a sense of relief...if we couldn't be there in person, at least we could watch remotely as Charles Stanley and John Hagee brought down sermons from their televised pulpits.
Years later, I feel grateful to have gotten some clarity about God and what being connected with Him means to me. I know now that I don't need to be inside a church building to feel connected to Him. In fact, I believe I'm always connected to Him. This connectedness isn't something that happens or doesn't happen. It just is.
I'm just as connected to God when I'm watching Andy Griffith reruns as I am when I'm shopping at the thrift store. God is there because I'm there. Wherever I am, so is He.
If you are struggling with feeling alone, I hope you know this is the biggest lie. You are not alone and you don't have to go through life feeling that way. It's wonderful to have a church where you can go and feel uplifted and encouraged. But even if you don't attend church regularly, you can still be connected to God. Just give Him permission to love you. You'll see. It'll be amazing.
