Sunday, October 10, 2010

Stand Up and Sing!




I was a few minutes late to service this morning. That is not unusual. Joel had to work, so it was just me. You would think it would be easy for one person to find a seat, but what was unusual was how crowded it was! I finally squeezed into the back row. I didn't really pay much attention to who was sitting on my left side, until we started singing. I really don't have a terrific voice (although I love to sing) so I try to sing rather quietly, so as not to disturb those around me. Well, the little boy sitting next to me certainly didn't have that fear!

He was standing on the chair, singing at the top of his lungs. Off key. Off beat. And adorably. He had all the words right and was lustily singing along with his whole heart. He did not care who heard him. He was praising the Lord! His dad futilely tried to encourage him to sing more quietly, but finally the dad just gave up. I have to say, I am glad his attempts failed. Listening to that little guy praise the Lord was so uplifting to me. During the song "Mighty to Save" he leaned over to his dad and "whispered", " We learned this in VBS, Dad. I love this song!" And you could tell.

I guess I want to be like that. Not afraid to praise the Lord, no matter what others might think. The Lord doesn't care if I am perfectly in tune, or on key. He just wants me to stand up and sing- to Him! I shouldn't care if anyone else is paying attention, but if they are, the only thing I want them to take away is how much I love singing His song. I want to be proud AND loud- not to offend others, but just to take joy in praising my King. Both with my actual singing and in life. Because He is not something to be ashamed of, and He has made me to praise Him.

After the service ended, I decided that I wanted to encourage this brave little singer by complimenting his enthusiasm. So I turned to my left and realized he was a little boy who was in my VBS class. His mom had warned me that he was ADHD (and I think she said he had some other learning disabilities, too). She thought he might cause some problems. Well, he was very lively during class, but one thing I took away was how earnest he was, and truly joyful about the Lord. But he was not a problem, and I think, judging by his performance this morning, that he won't have any difficulties. He knows the Truth and it has really set him free. He doesn't hide behind his problems, or his inadequacies. And I don't want to either.

5 comments:

  1. I am always happy in my heart when my guys bust out a favorite song from our local Air One station. Granted Gilly is very partial to Taylor Swift and Gideyon has been known to sing a Nickleback chorus, but overall my two know more Newsboys, Hawk Nelson, and Praise & Worship songs then I did as a teenager! And like your little friend in service they don't care who hears them, they just love singing to Jesus:) Put things in perspective, doesn't it?

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  2. Yeah, Greg said it was PACKED on Sunday. Crazy! Noah and I didn't get to go.....

    Saw the kids in their cute Halloween costumes that you posted on FB. It makes me very excited for the Harvest Festival!!! =)

    ~ Jen

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  4. I was so ready to be there early & then my car alarm/keyless entry wouldn't work. Needless to say, I didn't make it (my car alarm went off 3 times in my garage - so pretty sure my neighbors hate me too). Thankfully Chuck is my brother-in-shining-armor who took me Wal-Mart @ 9:15am & we replaced the battery.

    Glad it was a good service, hope to be there next week...car working :0)!

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  5. I was told once, "Worship as if you're the only one there." Think how differently you would respond if you were alone. You wouldn't be afraid to lift your voice or your hands :)

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