Rachel and Elie Dance, Mommy and Daddy Don't
Here's a post from our newsletter that I wrote in mid August (heh, probably a day or three AFTER the deadline...man, I gotta get more organized).
The God Who Sings
Rachel and Elie dance. Mommy and Daddy don’t. Now, those two sentences might need a little unpacking, so bear with me.
When my girls are excited, happy or just plain bored, they dance. They dance to celebrate something good that has just happened, like a new toy, a favorite dessert, a visit from a friend. They hear music that I don’t hear and they dance in quick little happy steps or broad, sweeping graceful steps. Sometimes I try to hear the songs they hear, I try to dance the steps they dance...but I’m not too successful at it.
A year or more ago, Rachel and I were playing with Dominoes (she’s pretty good at the game, by the way, so watch out if she challenges you to a match...). I left the room to do something and Rachel came dancing quick, excited steps into the room.
“Daddy, come look!!” (yep, you could even hear two exclamation points on that one)
“In a minute, okay?” And so she danced her patient dance. And then I went to look and she had arranged the dominoes into letters to spell her name. I realize that this isn’t a huge moment in history, but for just a moment I could kind of hear the soundtrack of her life, and I danced with her and we took a picture to commemorate the occasion and life went on...
But I don’t dance. I mean, really, I can’t dance (it’s not pretty when I try). But I sing. Lori and I both have made up songs to celebrate our daughters and how blessed our lives are because of them. We sing over them – with joy and tenderness. We delight in the little moments of our daughters’ lives: all the firsts, all the moments of discovery, all the innocence.
Did you know that God sings songs about us? Andrea Tremblay reminded me a long time ago about a verse in the Bible that reveals this but I’ve kept it close to my heart ever since:
The Lord your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”
(Zephaniah 3:17 NIV)
I love this passage of Scripture. Can you see God, with joy and hope singing a song over you? Can you hear the music of the soundtrack of your life and the delight that God has in you? If you can’t, please take a moment, go to a quiet place, shut off the TV, radio, the cell phone, close your eyes and listen for God’s voice rejoicing “over you with singing.” Can you hear it?
Maybe you’ll dance. Truth is, sometimes I do. Oh, I’d never let anybody but God and my family see it, but sometimes I catch a moment of God’s melody flowing in my heart and I dance too...
Hear the song. God “will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Our God sings. Hear His song.
The God Who Sings
Rachel and Elie dance. Mommy and Daddy don’t. Now, those two sentences might need a little unpacking, so bear with me.
When my girls are excited, happy or just plain bored, they dance. They dance to celebrate something good that has just happened, like a new toy, a favorite dessert, a visit from a friend. They hear music that I don’t hear and they dance in quick little happy steps or broad, sweeping graceful steps. Sometimes I try to hear the songs they hear, I try to dance the steps they dance...but I’m not too successful at it.
A year or more ago, Rachel and I were playing with Dominoes (she’s pretty good at the game, by the way, so watch out if she challenges you to a match...). I left the room to do something and Rachel came dancing quick, excited steps into the room.
“Daddy, come look!!” (yep, you could even hear two exclamation points on that one)
“In a minute, okay?” And so she danced her patient dance. And then I went to look and she had arranged the dominoes into letters to spell her name. I realize that this isn’t a huge moment in history, but for just a moment I could kind of hear the soundtrack of her life, and I danced with her and we took a picture to commemorate the occasion and life went on...
But I don’t dance. I mean, really, I can’t dance (it’s not pretty when I try). But I sing. Lori and I both have made up songs to celebrate our daughters and how blessed our lives are because of them. We sing over them – with joy and tenderness. We delight in the little moments of our daughters’ lives: all the firsts, all the moments of discovery, all the innocence.
Did you know that God sings songs about us? Andrea Tremblay reminded me a long time ago about a verse in the Bible that reveals this but I’ve kept it close to my heart ever since:
The Lord your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”
(Zephaniah 3:17 NIV)
I love this passage of Scripture. Can you see God, with joy and hope singing a song over you? Can you hear the music of the soundtrack of your life and the delight that God has in you? If you can’t, please take a moment, go to a quiet place, shut off the TV, radio, the cell phone, close your eyes and listen for God’s voice rejoicing “over you with singing.” Can you hear it?
Maybe you’ll dance. Truth is, sometimes I do. Oh, I’d never let anybody but God and my family see it, but sometimes I catch a moment of God’s melody flowing in my heart and I dance too...
Hear the song. God “will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Our God sings. Hear His song.
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