One thing that we, as humans, are naturally good at is compartmentalizing. We have our “work” life, “home” life, “school” life, etc. We keep certain knowledge and skills in these compartments and pull them out only when we need to. Because of this, it’s easy for us to fall into the habit of keeping a “worship” compartment in our lives. How often do we find ourselves keeping our worship life constrained to our time actively engaged in things like attending church on Sunday, going to a doctrinal class, taking holy supper, etc.? Many of us can find ourselves opening our “worship” compartment only when it seems necessary, and then closing it back up when we move on to our next activity.
We all know that worship isn’t supposed to simply be a compartment that we open on Sunday mornings—it’s supposed to be something that exists in everyday life. This idea makes me think of a passage that was shared with me back when I was in high school. It was probably the first passage from the Writings that I ever committed to memory. It comes from Arcana Coelestia 3854: “For every smallest fraction of a moment of a person's life entails a chain of consequences extending into eternity. Indeed, every one is like a new beginning to those that follow, and so every single moment of the life both of his understanding and of his will is a new beginning.” I love this passage for a few different reasons. First, it helps us remember the value of every single moment we are alive. Even in the mundane or seemingly insignificant moments of life we are unleashing chains of consequences that extend into eternity. So, when we find ourselves driving home from work, going grocery shopping, or cleaning the dishes after dinner, we may feel like we are on autopilot, but every one of those moments still holds significance!
You may be thinking though that if every moment is so important, then every one of our mistakes must be HUGE! I mean, if even our smallest mistakes or poor decisions unleash a chain of consequences extending into eternity, that’s pretty terrifying. And yet, the beauty of this teaching is that it also shows our ability to shift how we are living in the moment. While every moment unleashes its own chain of consequences, it also says that every moment is a new beginning. This week, I encourage us all to pray to the Lord and ask Him to help us involve Him in even the smallest moments of our day. Maybe put a reminder by your kitchen sink, on your desk, or on the dashboard of your car.