I nannied for a family last summer who had a one-year-old boy. He could only say a few words amidst his toddler gibberish, and he was still learning to differentiate colors and conceptualize numbers, but somehow he knew that whenever he felt moved by a song, he should dance. Every time I turned on music, it amazed me to see him stop whatever he was doing, then bounce his knees and clap his hands with as much energy as he could muster. I thought to myself, “this little guy has already got it. He already knows what it looks like to worship God with his whole being.”

I wonder, how often we intentionally stop in our tracks to dedicate something of ours to the God that we so deeply revere? Because really, that’s what worship is. It’s a show of respect and adoration towards the God we serve.

Of course, he was only one, and he probably didn’t know that what he was doing could be considered worship, but that’s beside the point. The point is, worship doesn’t have to be something we only do when we come to church on Sundays. There are so many ways we can worship God throughout our week, and that form of worship can look different for each and every person.

Take my brother, Jeremy, for example. He’s a musician and a recent college graduate, but he often connects with God through his photography. He admires God’s creation through his lens, gains perspective through his shots, and simply enjoys God’s presence amidst the silence of nature and the quietness of the camera.

Me, on the other hand, I’m a dancer and a poet. So I use those outlets to worship Christ. I’ve found that there are some feelings and emotions I can only express through movement. So, whether I’m training in a dance class, performing on stage, or improvising alone in the studio, I dedicate my movement to the Lord who has given me the ability to move. I’ve found so much freedom in dancing for God’s glory instead of dancing for the approval of others and even approval of myself. For me, it’s a holistic experience that allows me to connect physically and spiritually with God.

What I can’t convey through movement often comes to fruition when I place my pen to paper. Sometimes I simply enter a silent space, intentionally seeking God’s presence and voice, with a desire to honor him through my written expressions, and I often find that He’ll meet me right there.

That’s the goal of worship, after all, to enter God’s presence and draw closer to Him. That’s what we’re teaching this week at Hillside’s Arts Camp. We’re teaching these young, gifted kids to use their talents for God’s glory and to worship God through their individual art forms because Psalm 103:1 says “Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.”

So, whether you are a singer, dancer, photographer, poet, visual artist, athlete, or anything else, choose to let ALL that you are praise the Lord. See what it might look like for you to intentionally dedicate your gift (whatever it is you do) to Christ. Then see how He meets you right there in that space. 

By: Tyla Hairston
Communications Intern