Singing is Key

 I have once again been sick. I know, it's ridiculous. Same upper respiratory issues as before, for the third time this year. This month I've struggled also with sadness - loneliness, homesickness, weakness, and disappointment. And by "struggled," I really mean the struggle is real! I read the Psalms and think, "Yeah! Why are you downcast, oh my soul? Why so disturbed within me? What is your problem - just suck it up, Buttercup!"  

I talked to my brother, Kevan, about it last week, and he recommended a powerful medicine: music. "I think you need to sing more praise songs throughout the day," he said. "Maybe start asking your friends who come visit and care for you to share a song that you can sing together." 

So, I did. It's been a really awesome exercise, as I ask my friends what their favorite praise songs are or what song has been stuck in their heads lately. Here are a few of them: 

Now, we actually listen to quite a lot of music in my house on a regular basis, but this is different. It isn't passively listening or humming along; it's singing the words, and usually just using our voices. Some of us have stronger or prettier or more tonal voices than others, and more often than not this week we've gotten choked up on tears, but the beauty is in declaring the truth and doing it together.

One of the most precious things I've noticed is that it doesn't take anyone very long to think of a song to share; it seems to be already in their hearts and on their lips, a joyful outpouring of their love for the Lord and his people. I'm so thankful to share these songs and moments with them. 

It's really quite amazing how healing and restorative it is to sing praise to God! It's lifted my spirit this week, bringing light and hope back into my heart, renewing my physical and emotional strength, and redirecting my thoughts to the goodness and faithfulness of God.  

What is your favorite praise song? Join me in singing a little bit every day and see how it can help you! 

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 22, 2023 at 1:16 PM

    This is wonderful! He Will Hold Me Fast has been my theme for many months. Love you, Jenni

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 22, 2023 at 3:50 PM

    As the Deer Panteth for the Water…

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Disabled is not synonymous with Unemployable

I recently learned that I was losing my Medicare insurance coverage, and when I asked why, I was told that it is because of a change in my disability. This is very confusing, because I have had the same disability my entire life, and will continue to have the same disability until the end of my life; that's the weird and inconvenient thing about being diagnosed with a rare and incurable gene-based motor-neurological disease. So when I tried to correct that false assumption of a "change in my disability," I was told that my diagnosis didn't matter in this case.  ?? I'm sorry, what?? After feeling like I was in a Lewis Carroll story for a while, or like I was playing "Who's on First" with Abbott and Costello, I finally decoded that when the person was using the words "you are not disabled," what they actually meant was "you are employed." So in that context, they were correct: losing my medical insurance had nothing to do with my
Read more

Guest post: Fear to Friendship

Image
I've asked a few of my caregiving friends to write guest posts to share about their experiences of taking care of me. This week's post is from my dear friend, Mandy Wood: Connie and I have been friends for years. We went to the same church, were in the same small group for a while, and had movie/game nights with our shared friends. When my family and I moved to Maine, she and some friends came out and stayed with us for a week. Upon the two of us moving back to Indiana, where our friendship had started years prior, she had reached out asking if I would consider being a part of her friend-care team. Up to this point, we were great friends but when that question vibrated through my ears, I have to say I was heavy with intimidation and did not want to be a part of it. What would this mean? This was a whole new level of friendship I hadn’t anticipated. I put it off for a little while and eventually forgot about it. It wasn’t until a month later when my grown daughter had mentioned
Read more

"At least I still have..."

Image
 Over the past year I have become good friends with a woman here in Fort Wayne who has multiple sclerosis, and has struggled with some pretty aggressive digressions in her strength and health lately. She is a remarkable human being, and I love so much about her, from her sassy curly haircut, to her Brooklyn, NY accent, to her candid way of being authentic about her thoughts, to her faith in the Lord that keeps getting a daily workout.  We talk a lot about disability and faith, and how to hang on to hope in the dark moments of loss and depression. We've also talked about our "thresholds," as in, the limits we imagine our hope might have. "At least I can still sit up," she might say. "I don't know what I'll do when I have to lay down all the time." Last year around this time, she said something like, "At least I can still use my hands..." only, the thing is, she lost the strength in her hands this year and can no longer feed herself and
Read more