Think about the last time you led worship: what amount of time were your eyes closed and what amount of time were your eyes open?
For most worship leaders, that ratio is 75% closed to 25% open. But, what would happen if you flipped that ratio? What if you were able to keep your eyes open 75% of the time and closed only 25% of the time? This one small change can have a huge impact on how you lead worship.
The problem is it's easy to default into keeping your eyes closed while you lead. It feels safer. You get to hide behind the barriers your eye lids create (funny how a less than 1mm barrier has such an impact!). So, how can you keep your eyes open?
Here are 3 ways to keep your eyes open while leading worship:
1 | Recognize the benefits
First, you have to recognize that it's beneficial to keep your eyes open while you lead. What are the benefits?
For starters, keeping your eyes open helps you gauge the room. It helps you see where people are at and lead them accordingly. If you keep your eyes closed, you lead blindly. You never actually know if the people you're leading are following along or not!
In addition, keeping your eyes open lets you connect with the people you're leading. When you make eye contact with someone while leading worship, it can be a moment of personal encouragement. It communicates that "we're in this together!"
2 | Practice when you practice
Now, how do you actually keep your eyes open? The process doesn't start on Sunday morning. It starts when you practice your songs and at worship rehearsal. Use this time to get in the rhythm of keeping your eyes open. Consciously make the effort to do it any time you run through your songs.
3 | Think about it when you lead
Really, the key is to just be aware of the fact that you need to keep your eyes open. Cement the idea in your brain and then constantly ask yourself, "are my eyes open?" while you lead worship. If they aren't, open them! This may take a few weeks but eventually keeping your eyes open will become second nature.
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