You've heard the phrase: "observant" Christian, or "observant" Jew, or "observant" Muslim.
Does it mean that if you're observant, you keep kosher, or you eat fish on Fridays, or you pray five times a day, or you go to mass regularly? Is it about performing the expected rituals of religion?
Or does being observant actually have something to do with observing?
Jesus told us to "consider the lilies". He told us to love our neighbors as ourselves... which surely begins with paying attention to our inner experience, to know what is really going on in our hearts and minds. And paying attention to our neighbors, to see what they need and how we can help.
It turns out that the rituals of my religion help me with this kind of observance. In worship, by gazing at the cross I observe the human condition of suffering: I see how I contribute to it, how I can help relieve it, and how I can commiserate with others who suffer. By receiving the elements of communion, I observe in awe as the whole Universe manifests itself in a little sip of wine and a little bite of bread. Our pastor's sermons direct us toward things that we need to observe, so that we can keep our priorities straight from one Sunday until the next.
I want to be a Christian who is observant of the impact I have on the environment, so that I will minimize the damage I do to it. I want to be a Christian who is observant of the everyday wonders of nature, observant of the joy in children's faces, observant of the pain that people experience - near and far - and of what I can do about it. I want to be a Christian who goes through the ritual motions of my religion so that they will guide my soul away from selfishness and toward service to others.
I want to be not only an observant Christian, but a Christian who observes - with whole-hearted attention...