Bent into shape

We were sculpted by God. Not lazily formed, but thrown like raw clay on a master potter’s wheel. Slipped, trimmed, colored, and textured with precision. 

We hold the shape of our Creator. We are all like him. Billions of versions of the same image. Each distinct in presence, yet identical in essence. Our shape is intentional. There is a peculiar bend to us. An unmistakable curvature—like a blue note sung by Billie Holiday in her prime, perfect and unrepeatable.

We are born with a holy bend. An arc that inclines in awe toward a holy God. Our affections drawn to his presence like moths to a flame. It’s a primal, instinctive bend that shapes our entire being. It’s the bend of worship.

The Hebrew word for worship (shâchâh) means "to bend." It appears 171 times in the Old Testament. Specifically, it means to bend the head below the heart. It has nothing to do with music or singing. It alludes to a humble physical posture that mirrors that of a bowed soul. Authentic worship quite literally bends us into shape.

We don’t need to hunch around like Quasimodo, but we should keep a posture of humility in our faith, speech, and actions. And sometimes, yes, we need to physically bend our neck and bow our heads before our hearts.

I observe that many people have surrendered to the tyranny of intellect. Bent out of shape by the things they disagree with. Contorted by the dissatisfaction of their career pursuits. Twisted into knots trying to keep up with cultural trends. Head above heart. But worship is about giving our hearts the upper hand. It’s not about what I can prove with my mind, but what is true in my heart. Real worship is about putting our hearts above our heads and refusing to think ourselves into avon. That’s the Hebrew word for iniquity—a different kind of bending altogether.

Avon means twisted or crooked. It’s the kind of bent that nobody wants to be. A friend once told me that sin makes you ugly. We laughed. But I think this is the heart of what she meant. The disfiguring consequences of worshipping the wrong things. Our heads remain above our hearts, projecting the appearance of uprightness while our insides are warped by false worship. When we worship idols, we are left to languish in our crookedness. 

This is why things like political opinion, career ambition, and cultural trends make lousy gods. Opinions have no power. Ambition is a thief. Trends fleet like vapors. These idols bend us out of shape, forcing us to think our way toward self-glorification instead of loving our way toward the glory of God. 

Worship is the great, bending force that shapes our identity. When we worship worthless things, we too become worthless (2 Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭15‬). But when the object of our worship is the One who shaped us to begin with, we are bent into our intended shape. The holy bend that keeps our hearts above our heads.

This looks like loving people who don’t share my political opinions. Offering them kindness, respect, and a listening ear. It looks like refusing to compromise my integrity to get ahead in my career. It looks like rejecting the en vogue in exchange for the enduring. Heart above head.

Instead of getting bent out of shape by our zeitgeisty obsessions, we might submit our affections to be bent into shape by a life of authentic worship.