I’ve been reading through the book Ecclesiastes lately (I’ve mentioned this on Spiritual Musclehead a week ago or so…) and I came across this passage that made me think.
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Ecclesiastes 5:1
Snap. I know.
Then it gets more snap
Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words. Ecclesiastes 5:2-3
I’m screwed.
Okay, that’s a bit extreme but c’mon. Wow. This sounds as most anti-ADD as I’ve seen. I mean, how can someone like me NOT have a hard time guarding my steps and not watch my mouth. That’s stinkin hard for me. As it is, I’m having a hard time with my dyslexia right now as I type this.
One of the things I struggle with when it comes to ADD is that my mouth usually stops about three sentences from where my mind said “For the love of all that is holy, shut it!” My mind and my mouth are a bit out of synch. And I’m a bit impulsive while at the same time….where was I? Oh yes, forgetful (you see what I did there?..yeah, never mind).
Yet here in what is called Wisdom Lit we hear these wise words about coming before God with soft steps, shut lips and a quiet mind. How many kids with ADHD do you know who can do that?
But I also know that the ADD doesn’t define me. It humbles me. It forces me to think twice. It’s fun. But it doesn’t define me. It isn’t who I am. It is very much part and parcel of who I am but it isn’t my definition. My definition is “Child of God, saved by grace through Jesus Christ.” Now, it just so happens that I’m all that and ADD.
But this brings something up that’s important. This isn’t about running a mock in the house of God (which my kids tend to do on any given Sunday after church) but about coming before God with a contrite, penitent, and humble heart which steps out following by faith to worship Him (Okay, I just so thought of that scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where he enters into the cavern where the Holy Grail is kept…ooohhh ooohhh that cold be a Spiritual Sci-Fi Friday…back to this post). It’s what’s in the heart. It’s how we approach God in our worship each and every day.
Yes, I just worship each and every day. This is where the Teacher of Ecclesiastes (I’ve never been the best student when it comes to teachers…but I’ve gotten better over the years and I’m trying hard to learn from him) is leading us. The main phrases that pop up through the book are “under the sun” and “meaningless” and usually both together. Yet what is important to the Teacher is that we come with worshipful hearts unto God.
So many times we think it’s the words we say to God that make him happy. And so after a while we start blabbering on and on and on and on and on and on an…I’ll stop now but you get the point. And then we don’t focus on God. That is why we worship, to focus on him. And each and every day we are to come and focus on God in worship through Jesus.
This is what the Teacher is trying to teach us. He is teaching that it is wise for us to come humbly before God. To walk lightly, to listen quickly to him and to watch our words. He doesn’t want a bunch of words, he wants our hearts. He wants us completley–heart, soul, mind and strenght… even when the mind get’s a bit distracted…
And so, come softly, come humbly. Come with a quiet mind and quite steps. Come with few words and much awe and worship our God through Jesus each and every day.
Jacob's Limp 