As parents of small children, we are wisely instructed to "child proof" our houses. In other words, make them safe and child-friendly. The best way to do this is to get down on two knees and crawl around the house looking at the world from a child¹s eye view. How do they see things? What is their perspective?

Perhaps what we, as worship leaders, need to do is get down on our knees and ask God to show us His house and His worship from a child¹s eye view. Ask Him to show us how to create a child-friendly environment that relates to the things they see and care about.

So, why, then, do we get so impatient with children who feel bored and fidgety during worship when they have no real reason, besides the threat of a stern parental glance, to join in? Making the music livelier helps some, but serves little to give the child a way to sing his or her thoughts and feelings to God and know that He understands them.

And yet, worship is an essential ingredient in the discipleship of children. They must be brought into a place, that knowing place, where God is present and real, silencing all the worldly voices clamoring to tell them the opposite.

Worship that is written specifically for kids, with lyrics that they can relate to and a music style to match is one of the greatest tools the church has today. Get down on a child¹s level and worship with them there. You may just find Jesus on the floor next to you with a bunch of kids on His lap.