I think most of us can remember the admonitions of our parents, or other well meaning adults to…“Stand up straight!” “Sit up!” “Stop fidgeting around!” All those commands usually came from moms and dads who wanted their kids to have a posture that would present them as respectable, attentive, and confident. At the ripe old age of 6 or 7, I suppose my weekly nap, sprawled out on the front pew every Sunday, as the pastor delivered a brilliantly crafted message, frustrated and challenged my mom in her efforts to have her youngest son to sit like a perfect little gentleman in church.
Well, now more than 5 decades later, I suppose I must admit that as an adult,…and now as a pastor…I find myself dealing with these posture issues with a more serious mind. It is true that I don’t have to deal with a 7 year old sprawled out on the front pew as I am trying to preach, but, I do take note of the posture of those who are catching a few zzzzz’s in the middle of my message. My concern is not so much on whether they stay awake I’m simply concerned that because of their posture and slouching, they will fall out of their pews and get hurt.
I suppose as I think about our posture before the Lord, the deeper question really is, “Why does posture matter?” And, I believe the simple answer is that it matters because our physical postures reveal much about the internal attitudes of our hearts. For example...
- What does a guy do when he asks his sweetheart to marry him?…He gets on one knee.
- What do we do when we hear the national anthem?…We put our hands over our hearts and look to the American flag.
- What do soldiers do when they see a senior officer?…They salute.
Even though we oldsters often try to rebuke the youngsters concerning their posture, I believe children can actually teach us a lot about the connection between physical actions and our inward emotions. You see, most children know exactly how to react in a posture that reflects their true feelings. A child in pain does not need to be told to run to their parent with their trembling little arms thrust desperately in the air…They just do it! And no good parent needs to read a book to determine what that expression means! It is clear the child is saying, “Hold me! Comfort me! I need you!”
Children teach us better than anyone how a simple and unhindered physical expression speaks volumes about the emotions of their heart. Sadly, I am afraid that when it comes to our Heavenly Father, we often forget the physical expressions that once came so easily when we were children. Too often, we “dignified” grown-ups prefer to separate the emotional and spiritual expressions of our hearts from the physical realm. We emphasize the importance of our internal emotion, but then are content to excuse the outward expression that should go along with it. This is not the example we find in the Bible.
Time after time in the scriptures we see godly men and women running to God the Father in pain, in joy, in reverence, and in worship, with physical expressions of these inward emotions. From these passionate God-followers of the Bible we learn an age old truth…our posture toward God matters.
I challenge you to consider what your posture say about your life. Does the way you pray, worship, or show your love for God physically show your heart toward your Heavenly Father? In other words, does your physical posture line up with your heart posture? If not, maybe it’s time for a change. But, you don’t have to make the change by yourself. Ask the Lord, Himself to cause it to happen in your life. You won’t regret it. And, your God is anxiously waiting for you!
Lord, forgive me for too frequently not physically expressing my love for You. I really want my body to line up with my heart, but that’s not easy, especially in public. Would You, in Your mercy, cause my love for You to simply overwhelm my fear of what others think. Thank You for working in me. I ask it in Christ’s name, Amen.
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