Saturday, May 15, 2010

Ponder This

"To do even the most humbling of tasks to the glory of God takes the Almighty God Incarnate working in us. To be utterly unnoticeable requires God's spirit in us making us absolutely humanly His. The true test of a saint's life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life."
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Sunday, May 2, 2010

A Gift of Song

My daughter gave me a beautiful gift yesterday. It was not a material gift. No jewelry. No perfume. No clothing or books. This gift is more precious to me than any of those.

It was the gift of a song.

Not just any song.

I'll explain.

My daughter has been blessed with a lovely voice. To develop this gift, she has been taking voice lessons for almost a year. I am NEVER invited in to listen to her sing. Until yesterday. After her lesson she came running to the car and told me I just had to come in. I followed her into the voice studio and was informed by her teacher that I was to hear a private concert. Such a joy! I was thrilled to finally be invited into this special, almost sacred, place where my daughter spends so many happy moments doing something she loves: singing. I waited with anticipation to hear the song she has been perfecting. Her teacher played the introduction, and Jennifer began to sing.

And I began to cry. My sweet daughter did not know that I last heard this song at my father's memorial service. She did not know that it was one of his favorites. She only hoped that it might bring me joy! And it did. It's a beautiful song, and she did it beautifully in her young soprano voice. God blessed me with this song and her decision to sing it for me. It's a moment to remember when things are not going so well between this mother and her teenage daughter. And somewhere in heaven my father is smiling down on his granddaughter who gave her mother this gift of song and helped to ease her grief.

PRAYER PERFECT

Dear Lord, kind Lord! Gracious Lord!
I pray Thou wilt look on all I love tenderly today!
Weed their hearts of weariness;
Scatter ev'ry care down a wake of angel wings winnowing the air.
Dear Lord, kind Lord! Gracious Lord!
I pray Thou wilt look on all I love tenderly today.
Bring unto the sorrowing all release from pain,
let the lips of laughter overflow again,
And with all the needy o divide, I pray
This vast treasure of content that is mine today!
Dear Lord, kind Lord! Gracious Lord!
I pray Thou wilt look on all I love tenderly today!

Lyrics: James Whitcomb Riley Music: Oley Speaks