Patrice Deaton spent this winter and spring in Kenya, leading a Real Life mission trip. In the following blog, she shares a challenging story about worship:
Her shoes were on the wrong feet.
She was smaller and less coordinated than the rest of the children. She did not really know the steps to the dance or the words to the song, but she was filled with joy!
I couldn’t stop smiling as I watched this 3 year old dance one Sunday that we spent with the Maasai tribe. In the church we were visiting almost the whole church at some point got up in front and preformed a song for the congregation.
When the children got up you could tell they hadn’t practiced much and that they didn’t really care, they just enjoyed the fact that they were up in front of people to preform songs about the Lord. I have watched a lot of children sing in church and I am confident that most children’s choirs wouldn’t get up in front of the church to sing as disorganized as they were, and if they did they might not get asked back for a while.
When did everything in church become so well organized and need to be so perfect? When did it become about performance rather than worship?
I’m not saying that all performances at church aren’t worship-filled. I am just questioning why we practice for months for a performance and then after church at lunch we criticize the whole performance. I’ve done it; don’t worry, this is just as much about me as it is anyone else!
As I watched this little girl dance and sing in front of the congregation I was overcome with joy. She’s not going to apologize for not fitting in. She has no clue she was far behind the other children the whole time. Her mother didn’t come and grab her out of the front because she wasn’t fitting in or because she was embarrassing her parents. No one told her she was doing it wrong.
At three years old, she gets worship better than all of us: no expectations, no quotas, just follow your heart and the Spirit of God, and honor the Lord.
Her testimony at three years old is powerful: dance, sing and worship the Lord as he leads you and do not ever be ashamed.
Her testimony at three years old is powerful: dance, sing and worship the Lord as he leads you and do not ever be ashamed.
I was able to capture some of her dancing on video and I want to share it with you. I have no clue who she is, but I am sure she wouldn’t mind me sharing this with you. May God challenge you through her powerful testimony. Worship the King of Kings with wild abandon!
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