To go or not to go, that is the question

Today I will continue my discussion on new years resoloutions. I am going to talk about going to church(Dont roll your eyes, I can see you through my screen, you know who you are....lol).It made the top ten,so apparently it is worth discussing. I have been fortunate to be an active part of a church all of my life,and for this I am very thankful. So the question that is in my mind isnt why go to church but why not? If you dont go to church will you go to hell? Absoloutely not, that is absurd. If you are a christian and beleive in God, is going to church a requirement? No, it is not. Well, why go then? This is an excellent question and I will try to answer it to the best of my ability. I am soo thankful that we have freedom of religion in this country,and we dont have to do what we dont want to do. Religion, or lack therof, is never forced on us. It is up to us, and no one else whether we want to follow God or not and attend church. We are all born with free will,this is true. We are also born with a hole in our hearts,that we , as people, are constantly looking for things to fill, whether it be material posessions,drugs or alcohol,sex, knowledge,etc. These things may fill the void for a short time,only leaving you wanting more.material things of this world can only satisfy for a short amount of time. This leads me to my first reason why we should go to church,and that is to be closer to God,to meet with him, and allow him to fill a void that can only be satisfied through spiritual, not material means. What did you say? if I were to look up hellion in the dictionary, your picture would be there? You've done too many wrong things in your past, and dont feel you would be welcomed? My friend, that is where the love of God steps in,it is unconditional, as all love should be.
My second reason for going to church is simply that we need to be around good people. Positive people who we know we can go to for anything,whether it be a shoulder to cry on or prayer. Have you heard the saying you are or you become who you hang around? If you hang around eagles, you'll become an eagle, if you squawk with the turkies,yep, you guessed it, eventually you will get served up for Thanksgiving dinner(ok, that was a really bad analogy, pardon me.....lol), but you get it, or at least I hope you do.People need people, good people. Not people who are going to drag them down, but rather, build them up. Several years ago, i went through a really, I mean, really rough time in my life. I am soo thankful for the freidnships that were formed through that very difficult time in my life, friendships that i have still to this day. Friendships that were found at my local church,not at a local bar, or at the shopping mall. I hope you get my point.
My third and final reason is rest. Im not talking about the physical rest. I am talking about the "I need a break or I just might pull all of my hair out or kick and scream until i turn blue in the face kind of rest". You know, a mental break. Moms mental health day, i like to call it....lol. Matthew 11:28 says "Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest". I know for me, personally,when I go to church(and I always go....lol), it really sets the week off on a positive note for me. I leave feeling refreshed,renewed, and like i can take on the world. It really helps my attitude and destresses me. It affects the way I treat my family,it affects every part of my life, on a positive level. And in most cases, its free childcare....roflol (I am totally kidding, although that is a definate plus ). Not only do I notice how it affects me, but I also notice the positive effects it has on my family as well.
So, if you have been thinking about going, then what are you waiting for? I dont normally do this, Im not sure if anyone even reads this, but if you need help finding a church in your local area, i would be more than happy to help,just leave me a comment or something.
Have a great week, see you next time................