I mentioned in my last blog that we went to Boti Falls for one of our Adventure Days and got to take a beautiful hike and hang out by a lake. We drove a couple of hours through bumpy mountain roads. Well, I typically don’t get really motion sick, but something about the way our van was whippin’ down these roads and constantly slowing down and speeding up made me start feeling sick. I wasn’t sure how I would make it another hour and a half, so I tried moving up a row and looking directly out the window to see if it would help. As I was sitting there, I started singing worship songs out loud.
Sadly, I realized how hard it was to come up with worship songs I knew all the way through even though I know so many worship songs. I have now compiled another list, surprise surprise. But I just kept singing choruses of different songs, and as long as I was singing, I felt better. Now you can either say I just distracted myself or that my being sick was something spiritual and my singing was a weapon that worked. I really don’t care which way you look at it (I’m not even sure which one it was myself) because either way, I feel like I learned something I want to take with me and I hope you can take with you too.
Worship is really powerful. It changes the atmosphere, and it changes your perspective.
Why don’t I sing all the time? Why don’t I sing when I am joyful and having the best day? Why don’t I sing when I feel sick or tired or grumpy or hungry? Why don’t I sing when I am waking up to another really hard day at ministry or work? I guess something about my experience on the van just made me realize how much my mood can lift if I am singing worship to the Lord. Despite not feeling well, man did I love that van ride!! For some reason, it was one of the first times I really started to see how I could bring worship into every day situations rather than just singing in church or singing along with the radio in my car.
I definitely sang while we were hiking at Boti Falls because I mean, like how could you not? We were hiking in the mountains and it was super beautiful, so naturally, being that The Sound of Music is probably my favorite movie ever, I had to sing “The Hills Are Alive”. I know that’s not “worship music”, but to me, it still was. God knew the joy in my heart from being in His creation, and my singing really was for Him. It was easy to sing when I was having such a good day.
But what if I also started singing when I’m coming home from a long day at school with my crazy kindergarteners, am super hungry and tired, and feel like biting off the head of the first person who talks to me? I’m sure my perspective would change quickly. I would no longer be focusing solely on everything that’s wrong in my life or with that day, but I would be focusing on God and how good He is despite the circumstances in my life. I’m not saying it makes everything better because it may not change the circumstances AT ALL, but your perspective changes and you can start to see joy in a situation that should have none.
One night in church, we sang the song that goes, “This is how I fight my battles….It may feel like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by you.” How will you choose to fight your battles? I really want to encourage you all to think of and memorize a few worship songs you can always have handy to sing at a moment’s notice. Maybe it seems silly to start singing out in public but hum the song then!! I am really starting to see how worship changes us yet how easy it is to overlook it. I hope we never stop singing praises to the Lord because He deserves our praise no matter the circumstance. He is still God no matter what we go through, and when we realize this truth and worship Him in every situation, we not only bring Him the glory He is due, but we experience more joy as we do what we were created to do.
