At the end of January, I finally joined the church I've been attending for the past five years (when I was in the United States, anyway). Rebekah and I were married there, Sara Ellen was baptized there, and I play in the handbell choir there. Membership brings a few additional benefits to me: it serves as a gesture of my commitment to the church and it makes me feel more like I'm a part of the church family. I've been reluctant to join not because I didn't want to or because I disliked anything in particular about the church, but because I figured we'd be moving elsewhere soon, so it wouldn't be worth it.
While we still lived in Oslo, a co-worked confided in me that he really wanted a bicycle. He'd wanted a bicycle for a long time, but knew that he might be moving soon and he didn't want to deal with the hassle of moving with a bicycle or trying to sell it before moving. And he'd been telling himself that for the past year, all the while really wanting a bike and missing out on having one. Finally, he bought a bicycle and he couldn't have been happier. His point was that if you put off doing what you want because of something that might happen in the future, you miss out on all the enjoyment you could have had before that future event happens, if ever.
Joining my church didn't take much effort, didn't cost me anything, and didn't have any down side. I just put it off because of something that might happen soon and I was missing out because of it. When I realized that I had no good reason not to join the church now, it was almost as if a burden had been lifted off my chest. It was one less thing to wait for. I learned that if you wait for life to happen, you'll be waiting instead of living. So don't wait: live.
