I Want To Be a Singer

God loves to hear your singing - so sing.  Rod Parsley

I was thinking this morning about how I love to sing.  When we were kids my parents had one of those stereos that are made to look like a piece of furniture.  It had a radio and a turntable for albums and records. The stereo was in our formal living room and I can remember putting a record on and pretending we had a microphone and all the right moves.

We sang in church and in the car.  There were six in our family so it could get pretty loud. 

Several years ago I was out at my parent’s farm mowing the back pasture.  I had an iPod and headphones and I was driving the tractor around and around the pasture.  That can get pretty boring because besides a few trees there is not much out there.  Every once in a while I would see a snake or mice and a couple of times the neighbors dogs came over to chase the tractor but other than that it was just me and the tractor.  I would take that opportunity to make the pasture my stage, and the snakes, mice, dogs and any birds who happened to be hanging around, my audience.  It was great.  I didn’t have to worry about anyone hearing me and the birds weren’t going to critique my vocal abilities and tell me how badly I sing. It was the perfect audience. 

In my dreams I could see myself in front of a huge audience and my voice would sound something like Celine Dion.  But let’s get back to reality.  Unbeknownst to me, I didn’t realize with the headphones on that I was singing as loudly as I was and that my nephews who were up at the house could hear me from the back of the field.  Have you ever noticed that when you sing with headphones on you sing more off key? One of them turned to my Mom and said, “What is that noise?”  Leave it to kids to be truthful.  My Mom proceeded to tell my nephews that it was their Aunt Bren singing out in the pasture. 

I have since given up hopes of becoming a superstar on the national stage as a singer.  God just didn’t bless me with that kind of talent.  What He did give me is a heart for Him and a passion for singing.  So I have moved to a different stage.  My car is my stage and God is my audience and you know what I figured out.  He doesn’t care if I am in tune or if I remember the words correctly, or if I skip over the words I can’t figure out.  As long as there is passion in my heart for Him, my audience of One is listening and that is really what matters most. 

So if I sing a little too loud and a little off key and miss some of the words, I hope you will understand Who I am singing for because my heart is filled with praise for Him.    

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I love to sing and especially songs of praise and worship for You.  Music for me is one of those things that can bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.  Thank You for the gift of music.  It is one of my favorite things to do when I want You to know how much I love You.

Scripture: They wander up and down for food, and howl if they are not satisfied. But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of mercy.  Psalm 59:15-17