Unhindered Worship

Wednesday night I took our students to a See You At The Pole rally to celebrate that morning's activities. We had a great turnout and got to spend time hearing all that God did in our area. Part of the event included a worship band to lead us in singing. Theresa and Emily were there during the singing time and I was fortunate enough to be next to Emily. She never ceases to amaze me. For those of you who do not know her, she just loves music. Whether it is listening to it or making it, music is her thing. Before she could even walk, she would rock back and forth on her knees to the beat of music playing in our living room. Now that she is a little older, she is really getting into singing and playing.

Almost every Wednesday night when I am setting up for MidWeek, she will grab a microphone and start dancing and singing to the music I have playing. Of course we always have to listen to Blessed Be The Name at least once or twice. This is her favorite song right now and she constantly ask to hear it. A couple of weeks ago she and Theresa were in the back of the room when our students were singing. Theresa said that when the song we were singing said, "we stand and lift up our hands" that Emily did just that. Then she turned to Theresa and said "come on mommy, lift up your hands." We will be in the car and if a song says anything about lifting your hands or just has a good beat, she will lift her hands or start to dance in her car seat.

Having said all that, back to our See You At The Pole rally. During our worship, Emily was just doing her thing. She listens so closely to the words we sing and tries to do exactly what they say. One song even talked about falling face down and she did that! It really humbled me to watch my two year old daughter do what I would probably be embarrassed to do in church. Where did we become so stiff and rigid that lifting our hands or closing our eyes brings funny looks? I am a very private person and often have a hard time letting my emotions show. My daughter is teaching me that when it comes to my expressions about God, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks but Him. I did see a couple of students look at Emily during the rally and laugh or say "how cute." If we all were as unhindered as her during our worship, I know that God would be more blessed that our routine singing, standing, and sitting down. I am grateful that I serve a God who uses two year olds to teach lessons to us grownups.