My arm was starting to fall asleep, just like my 6 year old daughter in my arms.  My hubby and I were at the Christmas Concert at church with all three of our kiddos.  We knew it would stretch them well beyond their normal bed time, but there is truly something holy about worshiping as a family.  It would be worth it!

For the first hour all three kids were clapping and doing their best to read the words on the screen to sing along.  They even feigned laughter at the first musician’s jokes…jokes they were too young to really understand.  An hour and fifteen minutes in…BAM!…two kiddos passed out.

I held my daughter’s collapsed body and stood in worship for a good 30 minutes.  (Too bad God used this to show me I’m getting old!)  My lower back was starting to seize up…one arm was completely tingly and my neck was tight.  Seriously, why did I wear these Uggs?  They were crazy hot!

I found myself praying, “LORD, give me the energy to still focus on You and not on my aching body.”  So I stood, holding my sleeping daughter.  My 7 year old son was still rocking out.

Then the music slowed…”Come let us adore Him, O Come Let us adore Him….”  My body wanted so badly to sit down, but  my spirit and my heart refused to let me sit.  Then we reached the last chorus, “For You alone are worthy…for You alone are worthy….”  My soul wanted to lift up hands in praise, but if I lifted my hand, I might collapse from holding my daughter with just one arm.  But…how could I NOT lift my hands in praise?  FOR HE ALONE IS WORTHY…”  My body was so tired, my arms literally felt so heavy …but…HE ALONE IS WORTHY!”

I heard these words in my heart:  Your burden may feel heavy, it may be hard to lift your hands in worship right now, Daughter, but HE IS WORTHY!  No burden you carry outweighs the weight of my holiness; no pain in your body or heart negates My worthiness to be praised. YOU LIFT YOUR HANDS AND WORSHIP JESUS!

I untangled my left arm from under my daughter’s legs and flexed my right arm to prepare for the extra weight.  I lifted up my shaking arm and reached out to my Jesus.  I am not going to lie, I was sweating and my legs felt like they would buckle beneath me.  I felt God’s eyes on me.  He saw this tired Momma holding her child while reaching up to Him.

I opened my eyes to find my son looking up at me. He was watching me struggle to worship.  He had seen me clumsily thrust my arm up into the air and reach out to God. We locked eyes and together we sang, “For He alone is worthy, For He alone is worthy…!”

Maybe this sweet little lesson about worshiping through the pain and numbness of life wasn’t for me alone.  How was God going to use this little glimpse in my son’s heart?  Only God knows.  How many times have you had a real life struggle and come to find someone was watching you as you struggled to worship?

What a huge witness you are to the broken when you “push through” the ache and lift your arms to the sky and sing, “For HE ALONE IS WORTHY!”. I am so thankful Jesus gives us the strength to do this in our every day lives.

God met me in my little place on this Earth that night.  He poured into me a lesson through something as simple as holding my sleeping daughter.

People are watching us this Christmas season.  Most likely, they are people we don’t expect or see.  Pray for strength and endurance to give Him the worship and praise that He is due!

Dear Jesus, help us not to grow numb to You this season.  Allow us to feel our burdens and aches so that we may give them over to You. Use our lives as a living hymn to those around us, lives which sing loudly, ‘FOR HE ALONE IS WORTHY!’