Rediscovering worship, finding truth & courage

Every time a new staff joins my company, I ask “What is your non-negotiable?” This helps me to understand what irks the staff, and discover potential conflicts way before they take root.

For me, punctuality is my non-negotiable. The staff know they must arrive 15 minutes earlier than scheduled; and if they are running late, they must notify the studio. This removes doubts and builds confidence in the relationship, especially when we have paying clients who might be waiting.

As a Pilates teacher and studio owner, my days are short because a large part of it is devoted to actual teaching. I am disciplined and structure my day to first feed my spirit, then the body. Every day, I wake up at 4.30am for devotion, journaling and Pilates education study to ensure that all clients' programmes are well thought through.

I am disciplined about punctuality on work days, but in my personal walk with God, I have taken church life for granted. On Sundays, I am also up and about from early in the morning, but the routine would include a trip to the wet market, and a run. That means a frantic rush for a shower, before a Grab ride and walking into the worship segment (often at its tail end).

“Worship is participation, not consumption. It calls us to give up our notions of time, significance, and self-importance. It is a lowering of sorts as we humble ourselves before God to then have Him lift us up and send us out!” 

– Pastor Jenni Ho-Huan, Hosted by God

I have never thought of worship described this way before. We have taken worship for granted, as praise music can now be heard so easily. We listen to praise music while multi-tasking, diluting the experience—and reducing worship to being the mere “entrée” of a church service, something we can choose to skip, where I can walk in late, thinking about how I am in time for the sermon. 

Gustavo Sanchez, Unsplash

And yet, true worship calls us to be part of a corporate anointing not found in daily Spotify playlist. And worship is part of the sermon. It softens our hearts to receive and allows seeds from the Word to root and germinate. Without it, the reception of God's Word is belittled and diluted—much like how I had treated worship.

In 1 Chronicles 15, David brought the Ark of God to Jerusalem and established the church. David set up a corporate structure and appointed leaders and policies on how they lived and worshipped. He created a way of worship with musical instruments that produced loud sounds alongside “raising the voice with resounding joy”. Worship was meant to be a concerted effort, and highly regarded to represent God’s covenant with His people. 

Digital technology has brought the world closer. What once seemed distant and out of reach is now available at the touch of a button. Music platforms have made worship songs familiar and easily downloadable. These were meant as an accompaniment to our walk with God, not a replacement. For me, I had basked in worship music every day to the point where I no longer desired the authenticity of worship moments. 

"Worship rehomes us towards our true human worth and glory, which is to co-host with God towards a kingdom where life is celebrated and generated." This really struck me: have I lost sight of what church-going and the worship service is about? 

In December, after reading Pastor Jenni's book Hosted by God, I made many changes to improve my walk with God:

• I am no longer late for church. It was hard initially, as that meant letting go of wet market shopping and running so that I could arrive at 7.30 am for a church service that starts at 8.30 am! Yes, for me, if I am not that early, that means I will be late.

• I ensured that going to Caregroup is scheduled in my work calendar. This way, staff knows not to pack my Friday afternoons, which would inevitably lead to mental exhaustion and excuses to skip Caregroup meetings.

• I RSVP'd for To Really Live's 5th birthday celebration. It meant stepping out from the usual work-home-work-home lifestyle to extend myself towards God’s kingdom. 

• I also scheduled time to have dinners with my sons — the two most important people who I had neglected in the name of busyness.

  
  

It had become a turnkey to switch my mind and heart—from a hectic Monday to Saturday where worship music was often the backdrop of a multi-tasking life—into a restful Sunday to celebrate life and the sacrifice of Jesus.

These changes have brought greater truth and clarity in both my professional and personal life. When we are busy, it is easy to give up time for God to attend to our many responsibilities. As a business owner, the uncertainties I had to manage often filled me with anxiety. But what I have found is

a new translation of courage - where confidence arises because I have taken a courageous step in the right direction.

I pulled myself away from the usual hamster wheel as I desire to be re-homed to my true worth and glory, and co-host my life with God. 

Perhaps there is something that you would like to do differently in the next month. To say “no” to someone or something, even if it means losing a supposed golden opportunity. The promises of the world are fleeting, and what seems attractive for a moment can actually be a distraction.

Remember, with God there is no missed opportunity greater than mental clarity established from taking courageous steps to say “no”, or to step into a new activity that is unfamiliar but Hosted by God. 

Let us all be punctual in this.

Joanne Chong is a proud mother and Pilates studio owner and mentor whose joy is to help budding Pilates teachers navigate the terrain of their gift and calling.