For the woman setting up chairs at church: When It's Okay to Turn Your Back on God

On a recent trip to the Holy Land I was meditating while looking out the window of my AirBnB at an incredible view of the Western Wall, an intensely beautiful and Holy place for Jews worldwide. They honor this site as the closest spot they can get to their destroyed temple, the closest they can get to the Holy of Holies, where God Himself dwells. Struck by terrible jet lag, it was 4:30am, so those I saw at the wall that morning were the die-hards, each praying in a little "prayer bubble" of private concentration, focussing on the wall/this individual moment with God. I watched as worshipers, following an honored tradition, continued to face the wall/God as they were leaving. Backing step by step away from the wall while still facing it, carefully, consciously focussed - as a symbol of not turning their back on God.

Everyone, except for one woman. 

There was one lady out there who was constantly "turning her back on God.” She wasn’t still, and wasn’t focussing on the wall at all: The woman setting up all the white plastic chairs for the other worshippers. She went back and forth to some side closet with a big dolly, carting the chairs in big stacks, and then unloading them and shuffling them around. She was out there, at 4:30 in the morning, neatly dressed in traditional Jewish clothing, creating a space for others to gather and be with God. A service that would be virtually unnoticed, although sincerely appreciated by that one tired person looking for a seat. 

Sometimes we narrowly define what meditation, prayer, and spirituality in general should look like. We assume that “real” worship is solo, quiet, and monk-like. The proper “look” of meditation is in $100 yoga pants sitting in a hip class - not in pjs while doing dishes at the kitchen sink. Prayer is someone solemnly opening a meeting with beautiful thoughtful words, not an “oh-man I’m tired, Heavenly Father, please help me survive” plea at 4:30 in the morning crashed out on an old rocking chair nursing a baby.

But even though it looks and feels REALLY different than the stereotyped images in our head, let’s open our imagination to what meditation, and prayer, and an authentic relationship with God really look like. There are stages of our life when we worship and meditate by shuffling chairs for others. I believe this under-recognized, under-appreciated “turning our back on God” setting-up-the-plastic-chairs-worship is one of the most powerful, meaningful, divinely connecting, spiritual Practices possible.

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