First Baptist Church of Herndon

The Devil in the Details

Linda Soller | Oct 02, 2017

I think the actual expression is “the Devil is in the details”, but you know how sayings can evolve. We ended our Drop-In classes for September on the topic of why people attend Sunday School, in particular the adults. We closed with a discussion of the fellowship of believers. High on our long list of reasons for attending was supporting each other, learning from each other, learning about each other, sharing our faith, sharing our joys and sorrows, and coming together to do God’s work. But how do you explain that to someone who doesn’t attend, or maybe doesn’t even believe? Most of us don’t think we know enough information to explain our reasons to someone who has doubts. Some of us don’t even feel we can adequately explain to our friends and family. Yet there we are over and over again, because we want to be there.

As a child, I feared getting into a conversation about my faith because I might fall short on facts and quotes from the Bible. I am more of the big picture kind of person. I didn’t like to argue or debate. I observed adults who could quote verse after verse, which only made me feel inadequate to defend my faith. Those grown-ups were full of details, while I was just full of feeling. Those details scared me into silence for many years. Oh, I was at Church, but not really talking about it. I didn’t say it was a warm loving environment. I left out the details about the joy, laughter, the smiles, the tears, and all the other feelings which made attending Church crucial to me.

Each morning I awake to Josh Groban singing “Your Raise Me Up”. The first verse is so powerful.

“When I am down, and, oh, my soul, so weary

When troubles come, and my heart burdened be

Then, I am still and wait here in the silence

Until you come and sit awhile with me.”

The devil can have his details, I will stick with the feelings that raise me up every day.

Have a great week! :o)     Linda