May 19, 2022

Heart Songs by Alan Anderson

 



“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.”---Psalm 40:3 (NIV)

 

 



This blog post has we writers contemplating projects, “that make your heart sing.” This makes one think of the precious organ within our bodies as a source of the rhythm of our lives. Every beat of our hearts reminds us we are alive. This may cause us to sing and our feet to dance to this rhythm. There are, however, different rhythms, different songs our hearts may sing.

 

A Dirge Heart Song

When my parents died a few years apart from each other, my heart song struck the beat of a dirge. This expressed a slow-moving mournful lament. The sun dimmed as if I sat among the clouds. I could no longer enjoy the physical presence of the people who gave me life. My heart sang the dirge of an adult orphan.

 

 


A Heart Song of Love

I am not the most romantic guy in the world, but I know how to love. When I met the woman of my dreams, I knew I had to plan my life different than I thought before. In our early lives together we both knew we were a fit with each other. Even after forty-four years of marriage we are a super fit together, love endures, and a medley of love continues.

 

 

A Heart Song of Praise

I became a Christian in 1975 and for the first time in my life my heart could sing praise to God. Life changed and my search for true meaning and purpose ended. As with all of God’s people I can praise Him even in the storms of life. God hears my heart song of praise.

 

A Melody of Nature

 

The warmth of the once winter hidden sun breaks forth and wakes up creation. One’s voice has the freedom to soar like a bird when in the presence of mountains, the parents of the forests. A few minutes from where I live the mountains are close enough to hug. Right now, they are showing off a myriad of their spring green and yellow colours. The evergreen and deciduous trees dance to the rhythm of a spring breeze.

 



Not to be left out, birds let lose with their chirps, warbles, and whistles. The finches, robins, chickadees, juncos, crows, and even starlings, sing praises to God whether off-key or perfect pitch. The melody of nature can overwhelm me to the point my heart sings with the citizens of the sky.

 



 

Dear Friends

Perhaps life for you, even now, may have you in a strangle hold to the point you choke. A pathway in life may even now cause you to sing mournful notes of a dirge. In our society people run from dirges and their hearts try to scream them away.

 

 

As you make your way through this journey of life what makes your heart sing? My friends, beloved of God, my prayer for you is your heart will always know it can sing a song of praise. From experience I know the pain that accompanies one when life calls to sing a dirge. Glory be to God, we can also sing praise even in a storm we feel may rip us from this life.

 

 

“And I'll praise you in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For you are who you are

No matter where I am

 

And every tear I've cried

You hold in your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise you in this storm”

Writer(s): John Mark Hall, Bernie Herms, 2006

 

 

Precious Holy One, all praise be to You forever. Oh God, lover of our souls, allow our hearts to sing praise to you, even through the storms in our lives.




 

 

Dear friends and fellow sojourners, allow your hearts to sing, for God loves the sound of your songs.

 

 








Alan lives in Deroche, B.C. with his wife, Terry. He contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope Publishing, 2017; Story by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing, 2018; Easter Stories & More by InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship, 2021. Alan periodically writes articles for FellowScript Magazine. He has written posts for our InScribe blog since 2015. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca.


10 comments:

  1. Good post, Alan. And spring is a dance I love to watch.

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    1. Thank you Bruce for your appreciation of spring's dance.

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  2. Thank you for this heart-hugging post, Alan.
    All your words spoke to me, especially these: "The melody of nature can overwhelm me to the point my heart sings with the citizens of the sky."
    Spring--I love it. It's a song celebrating God's love for us and a wooing of those who haven't come to trust in Him yet.
    Blessings, dear brother.

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    1. Thank you for your encouragement, Wendy. I enjoy a deep love affair with Spring every year. The dance of the trees to the accompaniment of the birds is always a joy to behold. Blessings to you as well dear sister.

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  3. Wow, Alan, what a wonderful post. I love that you live where you are close enough to hug the mountains and embrace their seasons. Oh that people would understand the cleansing and healing in the times when our hearts would sing the dirge. But for today, my heart sings after reading this post. Thanks my friend.

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    1. Hi Sharon! Yes, my wife and I love being near mountains, trees and the nature surrounding us. You are so right about, " the cleansing and healing," in such an environment of creation. I am happy your heart sings and I pray you can find time to breathe in the wonder of Spring.

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  4. Thanks for your faithfulness to show up every month! I like the expansion of "dancing" added to the singing metaphor - even a dirge is an important expression. I love the pic of your lovely granddaughter in delight as well!

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  5. Hi Tracy! Yes, dancing seemed to fit into the Spring-like atmosphere I hoped to create in this post. My granddaughter, Whitney, always finds joy in life in spite of her many health challenges. I couldn't resist including this pic of her. She was having fun outside after the rain stopped. :)

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  6. Thanks for your thoughtful inclusion of different aspects that make your heart sing, Alan. Even a lament (dirge) is a song that can glorify the Lord. And I love how you express that we can sing with the melodies of nature.

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    1. Hi Sandi! The melodies of nature surround my soul all year round. Thank you for your comments and encouragement, my friend.

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