Perfect Church

I longed to find the perfect church,

but flaws were all I found

looking for the perfect fit

I searched for Holy ground

nothing more than walls and doors

each church was much the same

until the day I heard His voice-

 I heard Him call my name

and praise the Lord, I knew right then

I’d never be the same

The heart is where the home is

And Jesus lives in mine

I know his light is with me

And I’m gonna let it shine

His Holy Spirit, His perfect love,  

 lives and dwells in me

And in Jesus Christ, we all become

one big “church” family!

 After years of driving by this lovely little church, I got my youngest daughter to take a drive-by photo of it.  Every time I pass by it, I am reminded of the little school house “church” in Little House on the Prairie. As a child, I longed for a little school house church to go to every Sunday.  From a very early age, this is exactly what I thought a perfect church should look like.  I longed to find a church family, but after years of searching, I had given up.

“Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,

we will come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves!”

This is one of the many hymns I remember being sung on Little House, in that little church.  A place where people gathered and praised God for their harvests, for their simple lives. People came together time and again to help each other and to meet each other’s needs.  After all the churches I had visited over the years, I doubted I’d ever find my church “home”.  Then one day I realized –

I wasn’t searching for a place– I was searching for Him.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13

I was never going to find Him in a place…He was right there with me- in my heart all along.  

And once I found Him, that picture of a perfect church vanished.  No longer was it a place to meet my needs- it was a place to give, to love, and to serve.  There is no perfect church- but there is a perfect God who perfectly places us where He wants us to bloom.  I am forever grateful for all He has done for me- and I am humbled and honored that I “get to” serve Him and lead our church in worship each week.

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony-  Colossians 3:14