Have you ever been inside a labor/delivery room?
I vividly remember the time my wife and I were waiting for our son Luke’s (in pic above) birth. It was difficult watching the woman I love go through such pain over so many hours especially since there was very little I could do to ease her agony. It was messy, bloody and shocking, but at the end of it though, the joy of bringing new life come into this world made up for all the struggle I guess!
Since then, the father-son relationship between Luke and myself has been an immense source of life lessons for me. In this post, I want to share a few that have transformed the way I approach worship:
- Looking back, when the tiny fella finally arrived, the first lesson I learnt when I laid my eyes on him, was a realization of how frail a human being really is.
- The first time he stretched out his arms inviting me to carry him, I understood the meaning of dependence.
- The first time he asked me a question, I learnt the meaning of innocence.
- Every subsequent question from him has been a lesson in how much he believes in me to provide all the answers.
- The first time he looked over his shoulder to check if I was still standing behind him, I learnt of his want for my presence and the assurance he derived from it.
- When he lay wounded after being hit by a bike, I experienced the compassion of a father’s heart and the anger against the person who had done this to my son.
- When he said “I love you papa” for the very first time, I learnt the meaning of a love without guile.
- When he held my hand as we went for our first walk together, I understood the meaning of relationship.
- The first time he danced, I understood freedom.
Imagine how our worship would be if it reflected some of these qualities:
- That we would worship with a humble realization of how fragile and weak we are before our awesome God.
- That we would worship our Father in Heaven with an attitude of child-like innocence.
- That we would worship beyond devotion and move towards dependence on God.
- That we would worship with steadfast trust in God to provide the answers.
- That we would worship with an understanding of His anger against sin that wounds us.
- That we would worship with a desire for His presence more than His providence.
- That we would worship Him for who He is more than for what He does for us.
- That we would worship with a striving for relationship with Him.
- That we would worship with freedom and without limits.
How do you think we can integrate these into worship?
Have you learnt similar/other lessons from children?
How do you incorporate what you learn from everyday life into worship?
