When I was nearing the end of my time on tour with the African Children’s Choir, my twenty-five kids sat my fellow chaperones and me down. They told us to stay put and then scurried off, whispering things to each other and working in a frenzy. All the adults looked at each other, shrugged, and waited.
Within a few minutes, the kids had organized themselves into their choir rows and they launched into a song. The song was an original song that they had come up with, complete with three part harmony. It was a song thanking us for all that we had done for them while on tour. To say I was bursting with pride is an understatement. The music teacher in me was super impressed at their harmonies (that they worked out on their own), and the mom in me was so happy that they were thanking me for all that I had done; including those painful times of discipline. (I know all the parents out there can relate to this one.) I wasn’t the only one tearing up.
We didn’t prompt these kids to come up with this song. They did it all on their own. They decided they wanted to do something special for their aunties and uncles, and they did it. It wasn’t perfect, and as impressive as their harmonies were, I’m sure there were some mistakes. But I sure wasn’t listening for musical technicality that morning. I was simply basking in the love of the song that my kids had put together for me.
I have to think that’s how it is when we sing for God. As much as I get hung up on how worship is done, I believe that when it’s done from the depths of our heart, God is basking in the love of it. He knows that we are bringing this song to Him because we love Him.
He’s not upset because we’re singing a little flat.
He doesn’t care if we miss that guitar chord.
He doesn’t care if our performance is flawless or our voice perfect.
He doesn’t care if there are fog machines.
He simply marvels in the joy of a song brought just for Him.
If you have a similar story of a child or someone special creating something just for you, please share in the comments.
What a wonderful gift! It would be soooooo cool to have someone create a song just for you. Wow, what an amazing memory!
A gift from a love one has no flaws.