LOVE FROM GOD FOR THE SINGER

The great Indian Poet and playwright Rabindranath Tagore wrote: "God respects me when I work; but God loves me when I sing."

I have a Great Niece who gives great pleasure to God when she sings. Lauren George is a 16 year old singing sensation from Whiteway, Newfoundland. She is actually singer and songwriter. Her Uncle Kevy is REALLY proud of her. In fact I am convinced that you will all one day know who my God-daughter Lauren is. I love to hear her sing. Part of the joy of experiencing Lauren’s gift is seeing her while she sings. What is clear is that she is most comfortable and most at ease when she is singing. There is a great joy that comes out when Lauren sings that simply cannot be contained. It is a gift of God. She is so comfortable singing that it makes the listener comfortable as well. You might assume that I am biased. So please don’t take my word for it. You can hear and see Lauren sing . Just click here and enjoy! If you are on Facebook you can join her group to support her upcoming CD launch while you are there.  (Just signing up or leaving a note is great support for good independant Canadian artists)

I watched Lauren’s video yesterday and I wondered, when does my heart sing? God loves us when we sing. That is not to say we all need to be singers or have the same gift as someone like Lauren. I have often listened to my wife singing and also felt the tremendous presence of God’s pleasure at the gift of music expressed in song. Hearing my wife sing whe I first met her, is a gift I will never forget. I love to sing, but I am not at one with a song the way Lauren or my wife Catherinanne is when they sing. I also have not the talent to make a song into such a wonderful expression of love. At the same time I am keenly aware that God is present when I see others in their element, whatever that element might be. Our hearts sing when we get in our groove and find our comfort zone. Personally, there are times that I feel in the zone when I am proclaiming a sermon. Sometimes I feel at one with a singing heart when I am present at the hospital bedside. I often feel that my heart sings when I am able to elicit great laughter from another. It sounds odd, but I know that God loves me when I enter into that place where I am keenly aware that I am doing all that I can to bring glory to God, but bringing pleasure, peace, comfort or grace to another.

Having trouble letting your heart sing of late? It is a valid question. Life sometimes places us in a cloud that is not conducive to a singing heart. I will add here to what Tagore offered in the quote above. I believe that God also loves us when we are unable to sing. Sometimes are hearts ache and singing is far from our being. The truth is that God loves us then as well. Our prayer at those moments are for a sense of patience to pass from darkness to light. The hope is that we will one day let our heart sing again, that we might know God’s love as expressed when all is well. While we wait fro that time, we can depend on God to sing to us and to love us even as we are too weak and forlorn to enter into the song.

Where is your comfort zone? When does your heart sing? God has great respect for all of our work. In our work, are we able to let our hearts sing? Do we take a little time each day to make certain that we are singing as much as we can– not necessarily performing but actually letting our hearts sing and soar? It becomes important for us to realize how much God loves us and wants us to allow our hearts to sing.

Psalm 5 reminds us to take comfort in God’s love for us and to allow our whole being sing for joy where and when we can:

"But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
       let them ever sing for joy.
       Spread your protection over them,
       that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
       you surround them with your favour as with a shield."

Look to someone who is at one with God’s love and be inspired by their witness to find that same comfort and rejoice in the presence of the one who loves us – when we sing and when we are too weak to sing.