By now (married 6 years this summer) Sara is used to it. She probably has even learned to tune me out! Most friends expect it at a moment's notice. But I...I value it. For me a song gets inside of me and in some unexplainable way it becomes a little more a part of me today than it was yesterday. The songs that we sing on a Sunday morning are more than enough to last me through the week...over and over and over again. I love the imagery in Scripture where all of creation "bursts" out in songs of praise to the Creator. That's me! Sometimes all that God is and all that He does in my life can't be contained inside, but must "burst" out of me in the form of song.
For me it is as normal as living and breathing. For whatever reason, God placed in me a love and joy for life that can only fully express itself in song. And for that, I wouldn't have it any other way, than to be a hummer like my mother!
What song has been in your heart lately and how has it been meaningful to you?
-Mike
Ask my wife and she'll tell you I'm the same way. I don't think I ever shut up singing at home.
ReplyDeleteShe's gotten better about not telling me to shut up though.
I'm sure she wouldn't mind as much if I could at least carry a tune. :)
I can't remember a day that I haven't sang or hummed a song that was stuck in my head! Usually it's one that fits my mood. Lately I have had one song stuck in my head constantly. Beauty from Pain by Super Chick. I wake up humming it and go to sleep humming it. It's my promise that everything be okay. :-)
ReplyDeleteHow very alike your mother and I are. Only if I am extremely upset does the song not come from my heart.
ReplyDeleteI come from a "singing" family too... in fact, it's one of the first things I ever blogged about (Grammar correction for Stephanie: "about which I ever blogged"). You can find it here if you're interested :-)
ReplyDeleteUsually what gets “stuck” in my head is something from worship . . . last week I sang the first line from “Doxology” over and over and over. This past week my internal hummer couldn’t shake “Master the Tempest is Raging”. However, the song I have been CHOOSING to quietly sing to myself for the last couple of weeks is called “Two Hands” from Jars of Clay’s new cd “The Long Fall Back to Earth” . . .
ReplyDeleteI’ve been living out of sanity
I’ve been splitting hairs and blurring lines
I am a house that is divided
In my heart and in my mind
I use one hand to pull closer
The other to push You away
If I had two hands doing the same thing
Lifted high, lifted high
This song keeps my mind asking the questions: Why do I always feel the need to be in control? And if I REALLY trust God, why is SURRENDER so stinking difficult?
Hopefully I don't offend anyone with my husband's diagnosis, but my husband says I suffer from "musical tourettes." I constantly am singing- and just like Mike, my mom was also a hummer. Some of my best memories of my mom include us driving along and singing, while her index fingers danced on the steering wheel. My students can sing you the "Water Cycle Song", "Welcome to the Hotel Energy State", "Metalloids", etc. I have found that music is something that bridges gaps...it is a language that everyone understands. I am thankful to God for this gift.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet gift God has given us in the way of songs. They are therapeutic and express in words emotions that are difficult to grasp. I remember as early as the 5th grade when I was having trouble with friends in school--standing in church singing "If the skies above you are gray, you are feeling so blue...Sing and be happy today." There's a song for every occasion, and how am I able to remember lyrics from 25 years ago when I sometimes can't remember what happened yesterday? When I'm 90 and suffering from dementia, I may not remember my own name, but I'm almost certain I'll remember the words to "Jesus Loves Me",...oh, and probably "Gilligan's Island";)
ReplyDeleteSongs can move me to tears so much more quickly than any other form of communication. I love to sing - though I am not very good at it. When I am struggling to see God in my life I can always see His spirit in songs and in the singing portion of our worship. Singing as a church family always opens my heart for the rest of the service. I can be dealing with everyday junk on Sunday morning and as soon as Mike starts our singing I see God's holy Spirit moving among our members. We are so very blessed with the talent God has given many members of our family to sing and to move our souls closer to God.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I like to sing a song based on what I just heard. So often a phrase someone has just said sets off a song. It is a fun game. It is also the language of my heart.
ReplyDelete