At church on Sunday mornings I sit on the front row, second seat from the left.
Mr. Fantastic sits to my right, to his right are Brett and Melissa, and down on the end of the row John and ErinDay have seats. Gaylen and Simone sit behind us, and the seat to my left is usually reserved for Gaylen’s bible during worship.
Most Sundays I can always find everyone I know because church is a place of seat real estate, I guess. My friends Stacey and Quinn, Megan and Amelia, Amy and Mallary, all have their usual perches. People are creatures of habit, and although some of us move around every so often, we all have our favorite “spots”.
But some of us don’t really get to choose our seats- in church or in life.
Because of our role as pastors, because I married this fantastic man, my seat has been assigned to me by default in literal and figurative ways. I do not always loved my placement.
There are things I do like about the front row. I like that I can jump up and down, kneel and raise my hands, and worship God without getting tangled up in someone else’s space.
There are times, though, that I struggle under the weight of the responsibility we carry to lead a church deeper into the gospel. Placement and purpose usually come with a hefty price tag of hard work and sacrifice.
That’s when I would rather be placed in a shack on a lonely beach, a cabin high in the mountains, or even a nicely appointed hut in the jungle.
In truth, I am a resistant pastor’s wife, a hesitant leader, and a closet introvert. The back row and an early exit appeal in all sorts of ways.
God is unwilling to leave us in the comfort of our own skin. On the hearts of those who worship Him in spirit and in truth, He writes His dreams, no matter what our preferences may be.
Lately, when I seek His face, I see His dream of an army of women deeply in love with Jesus rising up to spread the gospel.
No pressure, women of the world, but God has our number.
He has seen our Pinterest boards and our Facebook updates. God knows the color of our kitchen cabinets and which cupcake recipe we will make for our coworker’s birthday.
He likes the photos we posted of our kids on the first day of school and the kind way we speak to our husbands. God has woven His own love into the way we nurture the people around us and how we carry life within our bodies with bold sacrifice.
He has heard our prayers to be loved, and He understands our hopes that we can be more than girlfriends or mothers or pretty-faces-to-look-at or whatever label we feel has been stamped on our lives.
His greatness is within our grasp every time we hold the gospel out to the world.
We are a daughters of the King, prophetesses of truth, women with a mission and a calling and no small act of love goes unnoticed by the Author of our faith.
As we wait on Him to write our stories and sing His song of love over our lives, He is placing us all on the front row to see His awesome display of beauty and greatness.
Oh, yes, we are dwarfed and humbled sitting here. But for the submitted heart, the view is unobstructed.
Dance. Sing. Shout and clap and raise your hands. Don’t move to the left or the right. Don’t long for the seat another has been given.
God has placed us in this uncomfortable seat that is our destiny.
We can change the world one cupcake, one hour of community service, one encouraging word, one donation, one smile, one post, and one more day at a time.
We are on the front row, we are His, and we are destined for greatness.
Shake off your dust;
rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
Daughter Zion, now a captive.
For this is what the Lord says:“You were sold for nothing,
and without money you will be redeemed.”-Isaiah 52:2-3 (NIVEN)