Singin’ in the Key of Free
Insights From Vacation Bible School
Rediscovering the Joy of Childlike Worship
When Did We Stop Skipping?
Timmy couldn’t sing to save his life.
He couldn’t dance either — but that didn’t stop him.
Every day, when Miss Marla announced song time, Timmy’s whole face lit up. He sang loudly, off-key, and with arms flailing in every direction. He was joy in motion — unashamed, unfiltered, fully alive.
Meanwhile, I sang softly, carefully, in tune. I didn’t want to look silly. I wanted to look together.
But Timmy didn’t care about looking as though he had it together — he cared about being free.
And that freedom, I’ve come to learn, is what worship was always meant to look like.
A Child Again
When did we stop singing and dancing?
When did we outgrow skipping?
Did we discover that others’ opinions of our “talents” snuffed out the songs and dances of our lives?
Did we just get overburdened by everything we’ve stuffed in our bags?
Have the floors we walk on become slippery from all our spilled lives?
Have we become hoarse from all our screaming demands to have our own way?
Have we become crippled by the blows of betrayal when we try to live as God designed?
Somewhere along the way, many of us learned to manage joy — to edit enthusiasm — to “worship respectfully.”
But the Kingdom of God isn’t about managed appearances; it’s about abandoned hearts.
Jesus said, “Unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Children don’t perform worship — they live it.
They sing because they’re loved. They dance because they’re delighted in.
The God Who Dances Over You
Zephaniah 3:17 reminds us: “He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.”
God sings over you.
Think of that. The Creator of galaxies hums over your soul with joy.
And when that truth sinks in, it awakens something that no fear, failure, or shame can silence. You start to sway again, sing again, laugh again. Not because you’re strong — but because you’re loved.
Reflection
Where did your song stop?
What fear or opinion silenced your joy?
What might it look like to let God’s delight awaken your dance again?
Prayer