Children's Choir

Tonight was the first night of children's choir at our church. It's the first time we have had it on Wednesday night. As a church we have eliminated the Sunday night stuff at the church, and moved the kids' programming to Wednesday. We'll see how this works out tomorrow morning for my munchkins. Getting them up for school might be a little harder than usual. It may sound like I'm complaining, but really, I'm up at church on Wednesday nights anyway, so it's no big deal. This schedule really does help me and I'm glad to get to relax on Sunday afternoons.

That's not what I really want to blog about.

I am helping this year in a class with the most amazing children's choir director ever. I can make such a statement from a position of knowledge and experience. This wonderful woman, Mrs. M, was my choir director when I was in children's choir as an elementary school kid. I have seen many children's choir directors in my day, and many church choir directors as well. Never has there been a more perfect combination of the two in one as this lovely woman. I was mainly sitting in the back, observing her as she worked with the students, establishing an atmosphere of respect and reverence. I was watching. And worshiping.

It surprised me.

I don't know why I should be surprised. God is at work.

At one point in the rehearsal, Mrs. M stopped what she was doing. She had forgotten what she had planned to do next. Rather than just fake it for a minute, she stopped the lesson, confessed that she hadn't written it down, and prayed aloud for the Lord to guide her through the lesson. I was moved by her humility before God, the two of us adult workers in the room, and the children. I was moved by her wisdom to seek God's direction for the next step rather than to trust herself and her own ability to teach. I was moved by her unashamed faith. There was no doubt that God would lead her to the next thing that needed to happen in tonight's rehearsal.

In that moment, as she prayed, tears came to my eyes. I was pricked with conviction. How many times do I get stuck in a lesson and I plow on ahead in my own strength? Too many.

I don't know if any of the kids really got anything from that moment, but I sure did. Praise God. It was such a personal moment in which the Lord revealed His might through Mrs. M's weakness. It may have been just for me. And that makes it all the more special. The God of the universe wants a personal relationship with me. He keeps revealing Himself to me, tugging at my heart, revealing what I have not yet yielded to Him. And He's not going to stop. I praise the Lord for that too!

Right now in my life I feel almost like a teenager in love. I feel like God is wooing me. And I know that He is because over and over again in the Word of God Jesus is said to be the bridegroom coming for His bride, the church. It's overwhelming me, and I never want it to stop.

Of course I realize, as a married woman now for over 12 years, that the feelings come and go, but the commitment is there regardless of emotions. I know this "feeling" isn't going to go on indefinitely. There will be times when I won't be able to see or feel God in my life, and it's in those times that I'll have to remember this, and trust that He is still there. But maybe next time when that happens it won't be so long as the last time.

Tonight I have a song in my head, placed there by my beloved God: "As the Bridegroom to His Chosen," by John Rutter. The CD I have with this song is of Rutter directing his choir, The Cambridge Singers, but this youtube clip of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is pretty good too. I pray you feel the Lord's gentle wooing of your spirit as you listen.