Sing and Walk

Pope Francis said “Singing is good for one's soul, so sing and walk. Christian life is a path, but it is not a sad path. It is a joyous path that is done singing and walking’, so SING and WALK!

Those words resonated with me. I’ve been doing that for a very long time. My Mama taught it to me. I watched her, in some of the toughest times with my sick daddy and her having to be the breadwinner for us – sing her way to joy and peace. Singing kept her on that joyous path that Pope Francis talked about. And, singing and walking – that’s me. I will start out walking and before long, I’ll be singing a tune expressing my love to God.

When I was actively running half-marathons, part of my routine included singing as I ran. I started with the letters of the alphabet: A – I’d sing something like “America, America, God shed His grace on Thee,” B – Bless the Lord oh my Soul and all that is within me; C – Count Your Blessings name them one by one, etc. Sounds crazy, but I assure you it would make those 10, 12, 13 miles go by so much faster. Even during the night if I have trouble sleeping, I’ll do the same thing (but not out loud). As Pope Francis said “sing and walk” and even in my case “sing and sleep”!

My music background started as a young child taking piano lessons. That served me well in being able to read music which helped me with learning to play the flute, being in the school and church choirs, then playing the organ and piano for our church, and with my husband, his sister, another young man and myself hitting the road as The Masters IV Quartet.

Our daughter became her dad’s protégé and he coached and hard-wired into her the gift and love for music. He was relentless in being sure those early signs of singing abilities were cultivated, and refined. And, as it turned out, God seemed to extract the best of us and infuse her with the above and beyond in musical talents. I can’t begin to tell you what it does for me and, I know, her daddy from heaven, to see her belting out love songs to God.

I recently read about the health benefits of singing – especially for our memory and elimination of stress. I understand that, because some of those songs I’ll sing when I’m singing the alphabet are old songs I learned as a young child. I get amazed how well I remember all those words. I’m sure you experience that, too!

I believe God hardwired all of His kids with the ability to sing. I’m not talking about being a virtuoso, but I am talking about a joyful noise like Psalm 100:1-2 -- “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing.”

Paul the Apostle said in Colossians 3:16 “Let Christ’s word with all its wisdom and richness live in you. Use psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to teach and instruct yourselves about God’s kindness. Sing to God in your hearts.” I love that. Another key to success in overcoming and winning in life is singing – and even if we don’t enjoy singing out loud, Paul told us….”Sing to God in your hearts.”

Just maybe you have hidden talents that aren’t for the big crowds, but they are for singing love songs to the ONE who longs to receive our love. Singing is a great way to express our love to Him Who, by the way, is the CREATOR of music. You ask me why my heart keeps singing, why I can sing when things go wrong, 'cause since I found the Source of music, I just can’t help it, God gave the song.