Do you raise your hands?
Not the kind of hand raising you’d find in class if you had a question or something to comment or say.
But rather the hand raising found during church worship: people raising their hands for reasons only their heart knows and possibly sometimes does not show.
As I stood in church I looking around, saw hands raised in the air and I couldn’t help but wonder if all of this hand raising was authentic? Was it to draw attention to themselves? Was their worship true and from the heart, not trying for anything more? As I looked around I thought these questions and I didn’t know. And that’s exactly it.
I don’t know what their heart or their motives are. I don’t know what they are going through, how they got here, why they are here. And that’s perfectly okay.
What is it that makes me think that I can decide what the motives of their heart is for them?
Let he who is blameless cast the first stone. [John 8:7]
I often get inspired when filled with a room full of believers. But when I question their beliefs, I need to stop and look at myself first. The purpose of me being in church service is not to point out the twig in their eyes, especially when I need to examine myself and remove my log first. [Matthew 7:3]
So as I’m in church, I chose to inspire myself by the believers I am surrounded with.
What more can I do than examine my own heart and ensure that I am authentic while worshiping?
That way, if by chance someone has the same thought that I had, they look not at my hands, but at my heart, and know that it worships Jesus authentically.
Whether you chose to raise your hands in praise, tap the seat in front of you, clap quietly or obnoxiously, or simply keep your hands by your side, I challenge you to examine your own heart and ensure that you are worshiping foremost with an authentic heart. Look not to those around you for inspiration to raise your hands, but rather right to the Lord above.
To stick with the topic of hand raising and for a little change of pace, here’s an except from Christian comedian, Tim Hawkins:
With hands humbly outreached high,
🙋🙌Danielle
From the Desk of Danie Leigh 
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