grace notes: Older women leading younger women in the worship of the Lord

I have been pondering something I learned from two very different tribes we ministered to in Kenya. One thing these women had in common: they took the worship of their God very seriously!

In the Maasai tribe, there was an older woman that I noticed last year and this year. She was meticulous in her wearing of the beads and necklaces. She wanted to do her Maasai dance perfectly before the Lord, and as an example to the younger Maasai women.

Last year I watched her dance with all that was within her to the Lord. She looked around and noticed that some of the younger women were not dancing with as much gusto. So, she began to scold them for not taking their worship of the Lord seriously enough.

I watched her this year dancing just as earnestly, with all her might, to please the Father. This was not to please the Mzungu's that were watching, instead it was an offering to the Lord. She did not look at us. She was concentrating on what she was doing.

I also noticed an older woman in the Kamba tribe that was the same way. She was dancing with so much joy and happiness before the Lord. Not worried about what we thought, just caught up in the worship. Betsy, (a fellow team member who is 70 years old), danced with this woman too! She is someone who is also not afraid to worship the Lord with all her might.

I noticed two things they had in common. It was the older women who took the worship of the Lord very seriously. My what a lesson for us in America!

Before you say you don't believe in that, or I could never do that, maybe we need to look at some verses. Psalm 30:11 says, "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing, You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness." Jeremiah 31:13" Then maidens will dance and be glad, and the young men and old, together, For I will turn their mourning into joy..."

So many times in our churches in America, the older people have just let the younger lead out in worship. Many have become tired, I realize that. But we should become energized when we come before the Lord to worship Him! We should not just be content to sit back and think, " I have had my time of doing things in the church, let the younger ones do it." (I have had someone say this to me!)

Oh how wonderful it would be to have the older people lead us younger people in the worship of the Lord! To be proud of their worship to the point that if we didn't "give it our all", they would scold us!

The lesson here: As long as the Lord let's us live, and gives us breath...

We should worship and praise Him... young AND old!