A year ago, I was in a room full of moms as worship music started playing and just as the lights started to fade and I started to breathe more slowly and fully, I heard the kicks. The swooshing and wooshing of the footie jammies rubbing against the synthetic fabric of the stroller. The early kicks in the stroller of a baby who has woken. And maybe you have a baby who will quietly sit in the stroller while life goes on. I have yet to have a baby who is content to not be seeing all the things.
So while I really wanted to focus on the worship, I kept hearing the kicks. Then the coos. Then the claps. And I knew the shrieks weren’t far off.
I grabbed my baby carrier and with a few clicks, I had my baby up and on my chest as I continued to worship.
And as the last clip clicked into place, I lifted my head and saw moms across the room with arms raised and faces turned upwards.
I almost laughed out loud because at that moment I realized my shirt had gotten caught in the clip and so instead of being sealed and done, I was reaching back to reclick the clip.
In that moment, I had two almost simultaneous thoughts.
One was of this Tim Hawkins video where he talks about the names and styles of hands being raised in worship. This gem cracks me right up. And as I awkwardly put two ends of a clip together behind my back I thought “I bet he doesn’t have a name for THIS worship position”.
And the other thought I had was that this absolutely was a posture of worship. My hands may be full of babies at any given time, but it’s my heart that is the posture of worship.
We attend a church where kids are with their parents during the service. As this idea started growing, I noticed more and more moms around me and thought it would be fun to make a mom version of the worship hands. Somewhere between light-hearted and sweetly sentimental, my hope is that list will help you see that while you may not be “carrying a big screen”, your worship is beautiful.
On Moms, Praise Hands, and Worship Feet
- The Balance and Pray
This posture of worship takes a couple unique forms, but at its essence is a baby on the hip while holding a hymnal. Variations on this include holding a baby while underlining words for an emerging reader, holding a baby while trying to catch a falling hymnal, or holding a hymnal while a baby kick-launches herself out of your arms. - The Tandem
In this posture is for any mom holding/being clung to by/juggling more than one child at a time. Can also be done while nursing the baby. - The Snooze
This one includes holding a sleeping child of any age. Arms may fall asleep completely. If child is in a baby carrier, you may sweat profusely. You may lay your head on top of their sweet little head and think about catching a few winks. - The Heart Full
This posture of worship is when your face naturally changes countenance as you worship from your heart being so full. Upward facing. Tears. A smile. Nod. - The Raise My Hands as High as I Can
Whether holding a baby, helping someone find a page, giving mom eyes to a child, or finding a pacifier, this posture of worship is when you lift your hands as high as you are able, whether that’s an inch above normal, straight to the sky, or anything in between. - The SHHH
This, like the Snooze, includes a sleeping child. The difference in this one is that you are mouthing the words and swaying rhythmically to keep the child asleep. - The Sway
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, all moms seem to develop a sway. And once one mom starts swaying, we all start. - The Hand in the Face
Kiddo has been watching mama and has decided to sing their little heart out with their arms raised up too. Awesome! Beware of fingers jabbing into your eyeballs. - The Tears
Maybe it’s a verse or sermon or song that got you right in the gut, the tears start flowing. You might bury your face into some sweet baby hair but your tear badges will give you away. - The Outnumbered
Once mom and dad are outnumbered, defense goes from man-to-man to zone. For me, this means one in my arms and one on my leg. If you have some Bigs in with your Littles this may lend you to… - The Sorry Not Sorry
Bigs, Littles, mama is going to worship. This might look like grandparents or bigger kids helping. This may mean Jr. stays in the stroller during worship time. - The Pace
We’ve been sick for a few weeks over here and the Pace has been my worship stance. Back and forth, back and forth, singing the same hymn I’ve sung for years over my sweet baby, back and forth.
Sometimes, I think we as moms feel self conscious during worship. If we have our kids with us we wondering if they’re disturbing others. We want them to follow along so we try to help them with the words. If we don’t have our kids with us we sometimes have no idea what to do with our suddenly free hands.
Where your hands are during worship doesn’t matter. It’s where your heart is.
Which posture of worship do you find yourself in the most often? I’d love to know in the comments!
Heidi Goehmann says
The Sway and the Tears and the Sorry, Not Sorry are my favorites that went unrecognized as worship in my life for so long. There is so much truth in the lifting up of Holy Hands to love on someone else, whatever age they are. I think part of what moms do (and dads!) is make church a grace based place for their children. A place that is safe and loving and they want to come to, and all these ways of worship you bring up do that for them. I love this!
Melinda Hammer says
“The Sway” and “The Tears”
Leigh-Ellen says
The outnumbered! My sister has four kids and they seem to sit with us every Sunday during worship so that’s 7 kids total…haha! I love this great reminder that our worship is beautiful no matter how crazy or chaotic.
Katie Bennett says
This is so sweet! I love it Leah. God is glorified in our mothering!
Star Stivitts says
I love this! I think it’s so important for our kids to see us worship and for us to worship together. We alternate our daughter. They have the kids all worship together too which I think is important as well. We worship much differently at home, my husband on the djembe, being a drummer, and I being a dancer. This is another encouragement for me to bring the baby carrier to church, once again. I’m on my 2nd child. I mostly wore my first child during worship and now she loves to dance and worship and still asks me to pick her up and dance with her… there was a time right when she started walking but not too good that I could put her down and she would dance in place and I didn’t have to worry about it. Now I have to watch her a little bit more. But I think it’s time for little brother to get outta the stroller and experience worship too.
Leah says
Star, what a cool way to worship with your children. -Leah