Kids and Worship

One year. I’ve been worshiping in this church plant for one full year. I’ve learned a lot from the preaching, I’ve felt loved a lot from the people, and I have become happily involved in a variety of ways. Its been a really great place to heal a broken heart. And today the worship transformed into something amazing.

And it wasn’t a new song.

But lets back up for a minute.

My 3 children, my husband and I came here from a good sized church with a kids program with around 100 kids. And here, in this very young church plant, my children warrant nearly half the regular attending kids. Now I admit this worries me- particularly as my daughter enters the preteen years with no set of Godly girlfriends. (By the way- this is a place I am daily turning to God in prayer relying on his promise to work all things for the good… and its not easy!!) Not long after we began attending I began volunteering in the kids church. I quickly learned that our small group of kids are amazing and curious about God. They love to come and learn, and they ask really intense questions!

As the year progressed some of the kids began to come and sit near me (presumably to be near my kids). I love to watch them sit, giggle, chat, and sing together. Most Sundays its like a pre-church kids club hang out- they kinda just sit and watch as the adults do this thing we call worship.

Until this past Sunday.

The morning began as usually, with the same kids hanging around. As our worship pastor began I felt a little tap on my side, “Ms. Stacy, can I come in?” So all the kids squeezed in between me and my husband. And all together they began to sing. To praise. To worship.

Sure, they don’t know all the words and they can’t always read them off the screen. But they tried. And their voices aren’t mature enough to hit the right notes, but they cried out anyway. When the song changed one little guy looked at me and with so much excitement proclaimed, “I do know this one!” In that moment my heart melted.

A little tingle ran over me. I was watching our kids worship. Give their hearts and minds to the God who loves them. And they did it without reserve.

I want to worship like that- without hesitation, even when I don’t know all the words. I want to cry out with joy when I know the words. But more than that, I want to continue to see our kids worship. I hope to see these kids continue to grow and ask questions. I want to see their worship become trust and reliance on the God who is watching over them even now.

And let me continue to heal as I watch you work in them.