The Ozempic God

Ozempic is currently all the rage. For those of us, like me, who have struggled with “weight issues” all of their lives, it is touted as a miracle drug. I’ve read articles and seen the reporting on how it has made life more tolerable for many and a so-called easy fix for those who have never been able to reach and/or maintain their weight goals. Ozempic users say they look better, feel more confident, happy, and willing to go out into the world feeling good about themselves.

I reached my weight goal once. I was 42 years old, constantly working out and thought I was in the best shape of my life. Come to find out, I finally reached my weight goal because I had cancer. I was diagnosed with Medullary Carcinoma, a rare form of thyroid cancer which, as luck would have it, prohibits me from using Ozempic. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard Medullary Carcinoma listed as a prohibition for taking a drug. But, I digress.

I started thinking about the fact that Ozempic is a once a week injection. Once a week, same day, same time injection, with or without food. Sound familiar?

Hundreds of millions of people attend church once a week on the same day and at the same time for that injection of inspiration. For some, it is a way to maintain their spiritual “weight.” For some, it creates miraculous spiritual and emotional changes. But for some, it can be a dangerous place emotionally and spiritually.

Just as some people cannot take Ozempic, there are people who cannot take church because of their previous experience with religion, pastors, and/or church people. Does this mean that these people are doomed to a life devoid of spiritual experiences? Of course not.

God happens everywhere. Spirit inspires all the time. The long term side effects of an omnipresent Spirit are positive, life extending, inspiring, miraculous, etc. Sometimes I think we forget this because the “God is everywhere” mantra has been used and abused for so long that its truth has been overridden by contempt. Long gone are the days that you can only get God in God’s house.

So, how do we make God all the rage? I believe we need to inject ourselves every day with the fruits of the Spirit and walk out into the world confident and feeling good about ourselves. God’s house is us. We as God’s people must be welcoming and inviting before we can expect others, especially those who have been damaged by the church, to consider walking into the building.