What am I here for?

So I'm outside working around the house when a car pulls up two doors down. I'm nosy, and not ashamed of it so I openly watch to see what's going on. A man gets out of his car, followed by a woman I assume is his wife. He's in a nice suit, bible in one hand, she's in a dress with a beautiful jacket. They're rather stereotypical of pastor and his wife. I hate stereotypes. Especially since I am one.

But, as they walked across the road to the door of a modest brick home, I noticed something...



They left the car running.


No, seriously... they left the car running.

He's carrying his bible... his bible... and yet he left the car running.

Sure enough, not three minutes later (and yes, someone was home) the couple got back in their car and drove off.

And I realized, that they'd spent far longer preparing for their mornings ministry, than they did actually ministering. She'd done her hair and makeup, and he'd put on his good suit and slicked his own hair back. A mornings preparation, for 2 minutes of ministry.

I'm not judging them. I don't know the situation and there could be an incredibly good reason for what was going on that I, being only as well informed as a nosy spectator, didn't know about. I really don't care. My thoughts really aren't about them. They were just my jump off point mentally.

From there, I just kept going. Is my priority in the preparation or the ministry? I received hours and hours of training to become a foster parent, but the biggest ministry is in the quiet moments when I stop preparing Little One for the days routine, and simply love on her for a time. Yet, those are the very times that often get neglected.

When I kneel and pray, is my priority getting through my list or getting through to God? Am I here to talk to God, or commune with God? When I go to church, am I singing in a song service, or am I singing my worship?
What am I here for?

I think too often the answer is obligation, routine, sometimes it's even that you are suppose to keep pushing on even when you don't feel like doing the things you're to do, most of all, I think most people just really don't think about it when they go to do something. What am I here for?

As I was thinking about this, I remembered something that David recently said in one of his posts: "The first night we were there it seemed very difficult to minister as the people were very content to just receive prayer. “I believe I am healed,” they would say. “I believe that God will heal me soon.” We continued to press in individually and tell the people that we aren’t here to pray for God to heal them, we are here to see God heal them."

What if, for just a day you forgot about your list of things to pray about and you simply went with one and said "God, I'm pressing in until it happens." What if one thing got our undivided prayer attention until it happened?
Do you think we'd see more things happen?
Quicker?
Or is it better to dabble in 8-10 prayer requests giving them a heartfelt mention?

So many times God gets shoved to the side as we enforce our time limits on Him. Yes, I'm here to worship, but a song service should only last 15 minutes or so. Yes, I've got more to say but a sermon surely can't go past 12:00, Yes, I've got more to say God, but everyone else is done praying so..., Yes, I'd talk longer Father, but it's late and I've got to get up in the morning.

We just forget what we're here for.
It's not about worshipping, or teaching or praying.
It's about worshipping, and teaching, and praying.
That's what we're here for.