St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Vienna, Austria.
As soon as I stepped into the cathedral, the atmosphere change nearly took my breath away. The countenance of every person shifted. Reverence. Sacredness.
“Was it the art? The grandeur?” I was asked. No. There was an indescribable weight. There was a weightiness in the room. There was a silent, screaming demand for focus that echoed in the soul. It etched itself there and I have been seeking this sacredness ever since.
Reverence : a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration; Sensitivity to greatness (Dear Wikipedia, you didn’t fail me with this definition today!).
This very word was the focus of the Bible study I attend AND in the weekly email sent out by my church’s worship director the same week I arrived home. Coincidence would be a strong understatement here.
After the Bible study, I began to ask two questions of myself when it came to reverence:
- What does reverence look like in my life? (Totally stolen question from Bible study, but one worth asking, I think)
- How does this change the atmosphere around me?
To further question 1 – What does reverence look like in my life?
I think my obedience is a direct result of the reverence I have towards my Savior. I am a Martha by nature (Guys, I’m going to use all the churchy lingo in this post so hang in there). Sometimes (Most times) I need to nudge towards the “Mary” line. I take things in and they immediately go to storage until I have time to sit with them and process them. Does reverence for me mean that I allow words to pass me by just to hear the one thing my Creator wants me to hear and understand in that very moment? Is acknowledging the presence of The One in every moment the solution to the search for sacredness?
I think this answer varies greatly for every Christ-follower, so take some time to consider what reverence looks like in your life.
To further question 2 – How does my reverence change the atmosphere around me?
I am a temple. I am a vessel. The Spirit movement felt in that cathedral? *I* carry that with me when I go to work. I carry that *with* me when I pump gas in my car. Does my presence in any given situation carry a weight and silent demand for reverence? I am a vessel that should evoke reverence for my Magnificent Creator. Do I shift situations in this direction? Do people merely see me, or do they see who I’m for? If He is my everything, why doesn’t every single thing in my life line up to answer this equation?
Sit with that. Sit with Him. Then hold on, because things begin to shift quickly when you dare to ask these questions. Be sensitive to His greatness – this is the solution to the search for sacredness.
Destined to Wonder 
