Lent Day 5: Do you know where your pew is?

I don't talk much about my faith or church life on here because 1) while this blog is about MANY thing, it isn't about that and 2) my faith life is a private thing between God and me.  I grew up in the church and went to a parochial (church) school until I went to college and in that time I witnessed a lot of people who claimed they were Christians on Sunday, but lived a life that professed otherwise the rest of the week.  So instead of speaking about it, I prefer to let my life be a witness to others about my faith.

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...but that is not what I'm here to talk about today.  No, today I'm here to talk about where I sit in church.  Now that my seem like a mundane subject, but I don't think it is.

You see, growing up in the church my parents still attend, we ALWAYS sat in the same pew.  There was nothing special about that pew and there weren't assigned seats or anything, but I guess we, like many others, were creatures of habit.  To this day, as far as I know, my Mom stills sits there.  My dad never did, but that's another entry for a different subject on a different day.

Other "regulars" had their pews as well and you could always tell who was/wasn't at church simply by checking out "their" pew.

Then when I started dating Troy 7+ years ago and I started going to "his" church, we didn't always sit in the exact same pew, but at least in the same 5 foot radius of one particular area.  I never really said anything about it and didn't really have an issue with it at the time, but over the last few months while attending the church alone, I've noticed a few things.  First, that particular spot is under the balcony, so the sounds of the choir or congregation singing aren't great.  I'm also certain that the amazing pipe organ could be heard better from a different location.  It's also near the back of the church which makes seeing events like baptisms and soloists who are at the front more difficult to witness.

So, the last few weeks I've been "experimenting" with where I sit.  I've been trying to figure out which location suits me the best where I feel like I can be involved at the level I want to be involved and get the most out of my Sunday morning pew time.  I know this is going to sound odd, but at 30-something this is the first time I've actually asked MYSELF where I want to sit.  It seems such a simple thing on it's surface, but I think it speaks volumes to how, up until now, I've not been honoring myself, my needs or the needs of my soul.

As I go through the next week, I'm hoping to remember to honor myself and the needs of my soul and to try to find "my pew" in every situation.