Teachers

This past Sunday evening I was attending a birthday/going away party for our Pastors' 18-year-old daughter, Lacie. Lacie is leaving on Thursday for Colorado Springs to attend a one-year School of Worship. While at this fun fiesta, I was speaking with our children's worship leader regarding my daughters and worship.

The Dilemma

My youngest daughter, who just turned the ripe old age of 10 years old, has joined the worship team for our elementary kids class, G-Force. I asked Ashley, the worship leader, how Kaitlynn was doing and was given a glowing report. (On the inside, this was a big swipe of the forehead, "Whew!!" as you never know what you're going to get sometimes with Kaitlynn.) She told me Kaitlynn was taking her responsibility as a leader very seriously and it has transferred over to another area for Kaitlynn as a teacher's aide in the 2's & 3's class. Ashley told me Kaitlynn was now stepping up even more as she helped in worship for that class also, even to the point of volunteering to pray and teaching the kids to actively participate in worship.

I have to say this absolutely floored me. I have been praying for years that my daughters would become young women with hearts for worship. I tried very hard to model this attitude for them, but a lot of times for me I have a hard time shutting my brain off and letting the worship take over. Sometimes I despaired as I watched them in our family worship times as they just didn't seem to "get into it". Maybe they just knew Mommy wasn't getting it totally either.

The Aha Moment

But on this typically hot, summer evening in Chandler, Arizona, I had an "AHA" moment. I looked around at the strong young women that surrounded my daughters, Lacie, Ashley, and others, who I have watched become great worshipers with hearts sold out for God and asked myself how they got there. I knew their parents were big worshipers, but there was more to it. It seems to me as they were slowly put into situations where they had to learn to lead others to the Father's throne and this is where they learned the most about worship. It became so real to them as they learned to lead and that's when it changed from head to heart knowledge.

So many times we try to just model the way, but we don't grow the people around us up to where they can teach others. People can and do learn by example, but the majority of people need "hands on" situations to push them over the cliff. I desperately want to become a person that is consumed by my need for God, and maybe, just maybe, as I learn to teach those around me and grow them up to teach those around them, I will become that which I most desire to be.