To Move or Not To Move?

     If you come to my church you will find me sitting on the right-hand side on the second pew. I don’t say that in a way to sound like I’m any better than anybody else. It’s simply a fact. I sit there because I can see and hear the preacher better. I have tried sitting further back, and even on the stage up front. But I find myself paying more attention to the people in the congregation than anything else. Who’s talking to who, who’s getting on to their kids, who’s coming in late, who’s going to the bathroom. Too many distractions. So, I sit on the second pew.
     A few Sundays ago, the preacher giving the morning devotion stood and asked everybody to move toward the front. If you were sitting in the back pews, move to the pews up front. Just as at a sporting event, the spectators are more enthusiastic when they sit crowded in groups instead of spread throughout the stadium. But surely he wasn’t talking to me. After all, I sit on the second pew. Several people did move closer, probably as much out of their comfort zones as I would have been had I sat anywhere else. I, however, did not feel the need to move. I was already pretty close to the front. The second pew, you know. So I moved my stuff and made room for my new pew-mates, and tried to make them as welcome as I possibly could.
     We had a wonderful service that morning! It was nice to worship the Lord surrounded by those I don’t usually have the pleasure of sitting with. The Spirit was flowing, and I was thoroughly enjoying everything that was said and/or sung. Everything, that is, until the Lord interrupted my service and opened my eyes to the fact that I could be closer. I took that to mean physically. I tried to argue, "Lord I’m on the second pew! Can’t get much closer than that!"
     The Lord’s response put a halt to my arguing. "Exactly! Did you hear what you just said?!" (He was using my own words against me.) "I’m on the second pew."  There was a pew in front of me. I could have gotten closer. Not just physically, but spiritually. Truth be told, there were three pews on the stage I could have moved forward to. (I was beginning to see the error of my logic.) Then He showed me the altar. No matter how close I thought I was, I could always go to the altar and get closer. While I can be in His presence anywhere, whether it be on my second pew, further back in the next to the last pew, or even up on stage, at the altar I can actually get in His arms. That’s how close I want to be.