Shout for joy to God, all the earth! … “All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.” PSALM 66:1, 4
Most children have an innate love of music. Soon after they’re born, babies babble and coo, creating a special music of their own. It can be such fun to watch them singing and dancing with abandon, enjoying the moment without caring what other people think. We laugh and clap along with them, belt out songs and make goofy motions, acting just as silly. But it can be hard to keep that open mind-set once our children grow up and we no longer have a built-in excuse for singing and dancing. We may feel self-conscious or worry that God is put off by such displays of childlike behavior.
It might help to remember that God gave us the gift of music to enjoy for ourselves, share with others, and use as a way to praise Him. It doesn’t matter how loudly or softly we sing, how awkwardly we dance, or how carefully we stay on key. God just wants us to let the joy in our hearts come through in whatever way we can manage. He calls us to sing praises all of our days, not just when we’re children or have little ones of our own. We should still be praising God when our kids are too cool in their own minds to sing out or we’re too arthritic to raise our hands.
There is no doubt, the day will come when our children move from their “cool” phase and reach places of deep, heartfelt worship as they grow in their faith. And when we release ourselves to do so, we will rediscover our childlike enjoyment of the gift of music as we continue to praise God by releasing the song in our hearts.
Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of music. Teach me to enjoy Your songs with the heart of a child who worships freely and draws others to You. Amen.
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