In Every Season

I have mentally written and rewritten this post all week as I've been touring with my students.

I shared with the students the morning of their first worship service to remember to worship fully.  This is such a cliche phrase among musicians in the church, but it always rings true.  If you are worshipping fully, then your worship never stops and starts--it is always occurring, always changing, always evolving, always present.

One of the songs on the set list this week has been the Desert Song.  I love this song especially for the lyrics:

All of my life, in every season

You are still God, I have a reason to sing

I have a reason to worship.

I found myself moved to tears every single time I heard these words this week as I watched my students leading worship.  I looked at their faces and thought about their stories. Each of these students has a story to tell--and these aren't the run of the mill stories.  These students have walked through terrible and horrific ordeals and still choose to worship Christ.  These students have lost family members and friends.  These students have pasts that haunt them daily.  These students have dealt with broken relationships, self-doubt, and lack of self-esteem.  These students have had differences with each other.  These students have extreme highs and lows and are trying desperately to figure out this thing called life.  

And they still believe that they have a reason to sing.  

It is a tremendous blessing to be in their presence. 

On Monday evening, the students had an impromptu opportunity to lead worship in a home.  It was glorious to sit in a cozy living room and lift our voices in song together with the families who were housing us for the evening.  As the students were packing up, someone commented that their worship was genuine and that you could see it all over their faces.  

See for yourself:

My dear, dear students.  

Thank you for reminding me daily that I always have a reason to sing. 

I have a reason to worship.