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Take the Shackles off my feet so I can dance

 

I just want to praise You

I just want to praise You

You broke my chains now I can lift my hands

I’m just gonna praise You

I’m gonna praise You


Yes, that’s right. I have been singing and dancing to an old school Mary Mary song all month. Besides being one of the songs the teens played all the time, it is so appropriate for the people we’ve been serving with as well as what God is teaching me and my team.

This month we are in Duriamba, Nicaragua, at La Quinta Esperanza (House of Hope) which is home to 13 teenagers. It’s not quite an orphanage because many still have parents, but whether their story includes abuse, loss, or neglect, they have all found a safe haven at La Quinta. And let me tell you, these teens are amazing. They lead VBS complete with games, a lesson, different stations, and a lunch. They go to the barrios (neighborhoods) every Sunday morning to lead a children’s church for the kids who live there. They also have a youth service they lead on Fridays, and a Bible study on Tuesdays. They play games, they laugh and have fun, and one of them always brings a strong word from the Lord. And although it is under the guidance of the pastor, the teens do everything. Everything.

Despite what they have been through or the lies that were spoken over them in the past, these teens are taught to overcome circumstances and to love the Lord. They are given a place of peace and safety, and they are encouraged to be leaders. It has been so inspiring for me to see this team of young people living out the calling God has given each of us. The verse God laid on my heart at the beginning of this month when I became a leader – 1 Timothy 4:12 – was a verse I was able to witness being acted out this month by people even younger than myself.

 

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and it purity.”

 

 
For myself, I found so much freedom is recognizing that being a leader does not mean having all the answers or being mature all the time. God loves it when we embrace childlike joy! Living with teenagers and kids is the perfect way to see humor in situations, to throw (some of) your caution to the wind, to sing loudly, and to laugh until your sides hurt.

 

I’m not sure what my Baptist readers might think of this next statement, but God loves it when we dance, too! After dancing with these kids, I am fully convinced of it. To see young people who used to have the shackles of terrible circumstances holding them down, dance with the joy He’s brought them radiating from their faces… well, it’s just captivating. They have traded their pain for purpose, following for leading, loneliness for community, and mourning for dancing. There is such freedom that comes with knowing Christ, and these teens have got it. It was such an honor to have good conversations with them, to cry when they cry, to laugh and just be silly, to challenge them, to serve along side them, and to dance for Jesus together.


Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance…
You broke my chains now I can lift my hands…
I just want to praise You, I just want to praise You!

 
 
Team Quiet Storm with our family at La Quinta