There is a certain kind of peace that you feel when you have church at 8am.
It is one where you aren’t stressed about having enough time to do things and aren’t worried about whether people will see you yawn because, honey, they’re all exhausted too.
They probably rolled into bed around midnight too, secretly hoping their alarms wouldn’t go off so they could sleep an extra hour or two or ten. However, just like you, their alarms went off, they got up and they went to church.
They didn’t come for the people or for the fact that they love getting up around 7 for church, no. They came for the lessons and the truth about Christ. They came because they knew it was the right thing to do and they knew it would help them on their path to happiness.
Often church in the afternoon tends to be a “who looks best?” fest, when in reality it definitely shouldn’t be that way. It is, indeed, possible to make it so that church is not a fashion show. Of course, everyone tried their best and looked good, but you got to also see the real them. The real-life, tired, struggling human being who chose to go to church when they could have slept in. You got to see what is behind the mask that people use to hide who they truly are. You got to see a little bit into their soul.
You noticed that some people talked more than others, you noticed that there were some whose eyes were drooping and you noticed that there was an abundant amount of people who, like yourself, struggled with waking up and going to church.
It may not be what you’ve always wanted, it may not even be a time you’re okay with, it could even possibly be a time you struggle with the most, but no matter what the problem you have with early morning church—you still make an effort to be there and to be involved and invested in the teachings. You still acknowledge that you should worship and respect your Heavenly Father and Savior each week on Sunday because of all that they have done for you and given to you.
I don’t think anyone would truly pick 8am to be their church time, in fact, most wouldn’t even pick 9am (I would), but the fact that you still went even though you didn’t want to go to church so early in the morning is amazing.
So what if you don’t necessarily look as good as you could if you had 1pm church?
So what if you have to wake up earlier for church than you do for your classes?
So what if that guy you really like sees the real you?
So what?
None of that matters. Christ and Heavenly Father’s love for you is what matters. You are a special individual and you are loved dearly. Going to church to show the same respect they show you is but one tiny piece of the puzzle of mortality.
So next time you have 8am church, don’t grunt and groan about it—be excited! You are going to learn so much more about other people than you would if you had church at 1pm.
