Waiting in line for God

With a whole extra hour to enjoy the weekend I decided to actually get out of bed today! Starting off with Saturday, I volunteered at Free Arts in the morning (an organization I've worked with before- basically 4 hours, kids, volunteers, art projects and pizza) and traveled up to Harlem for only my 2nd time since living in NYC. Upon getting off the train I immediately noticed the overwhelming amount of churches in the area. For a hood with a not so good rep, I wondered why there was a plethora of churches. A lot of churches must mean there are a lot of spiritual people living in the area. And if everyone's so spiritual and going to church all the time- why is the crime rate historically so much higher there? Could it be that some people just have a higher level of passion that spills into all aspects of their lives? Back in my hood today I experienced the complete opposite scenario. Waiting in line for my church, Hillsong (check it sometime- it's FUN) located in Union Square, a passer-by asked "What is everyone waiting in line for" to which we responded "Church." The passer-by could not be more confused, asking "What do you mean, I don't understand?" I wondered, have we really reached the point that waiting in line for God seems like such an odd activity? Another gentlemen walked by and asked what concert we were waiting to see, to which I so badly wanted to say "God is playing tonight- Jesus is the opening act." Has religion become so uncool that it seems almost unbelievable to most that we would actually be waiting for it? And how is it that 100 blocks up a neighborhood of people who get a bad rap are so much more accepting of the presence of God in their daily lives. Yet in Union Square (an area of the city where I can almost guarantee you will see at least 5 people dressed like all of Lady Gaga's different personalities) people are so much less accepting of God? When you think about it- God (or whomever you believe in) is always waiting for you. He/she is waiting for you to realize that they've always been there. And as confusing at it may seem sometimes- their door is always open. With my extra hour today- I was lucky enough to realize that no matter where you are or where you come from- accepting faith in your life is just a matter of timing, and maybe a little waiting :)

xoxo AA