Bow Down

"Hey what is this? What does it look like?  What am I doing?" my student asked me as he crouched on both knees, arms out in front, bent over, face to the carpeted floor in the classroom.

We were transitioning from the floor to the tables, and his interesting display had nothing to do with the lesson the teacher had just given.

"Uh, the child's pose?" I said having done my pilates the night before.

"Bowing," he answered. "It looks like bowing."

I will never know what sparked this spontaneous act of reverence in the middle of our day of learning, but I am grateful for it because it got me thinking...

"What does it look like?"

Bowing, that is.

Well, bowing comes in many different forms physically and often depends on the environment or situation.  A man may bow after a karate demonstration.  A girl my curtsy after her dance recital performance.  A gentleman may bow to kiss a lady's hand.  In some religions, a person will bow over 1,000 times a day.

Bowing might say, "I respect you."  "I adore you." "I worship you." or even "I submit to your authority."

What does it look like in our lives?

Bowing (as in worshiping) to the wrong things can look like, well, a mess.  Bowing to drugs or alcohol, saying, "I submit to your authority," can lead to the destruction of a life and to much hurt of others.  Bowing to others constantly creates a faulty stage on which you can never please your every changing audience. Bowing to self only leads to unhappiness and a never ending search for fulfillment.

Bowing to the Lord, the great Leader looks like direction and guidance.  Bowing to the Savior looks like security and hope.  Bowing to the Alpha and Omega looks like purpose and stability.  Bowing to the Joy giver looks like more than we could ever ask or imagine for our souls.

 Here's what the Bible says about bowing:

Psalm 95: 6-7

Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the Lord our Maker,

for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care.

Philippians 2:10

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

Micah 6: 6

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

My student ignited the questioning of myself and my actions.  I must ask myself in my actions, "Does this look like bowing?"

Many times this week I have regretted words that came out of my mouth and hasty responses that did not sound like bowing to the correct authority.

Help me Lord to demonstrate with my life what it looks like to bow to you.