My niece Kim has an inspiring picture and quote on her Facebook page. A cardinal sits on a snowy pine. The caption is, “No matter what yesterday was like, birds always start the new day with a song.” I’ve noticed that, just by being who he is, no more and no less, a redbird’s song always makes me feel a whole lot better. Maybe it’s because it sounds like he is saying, “Cheer up; cheer up.”
Sometimes it’s hard to start the day with a song. A dream seems just out of reach, feelings are hurt, we sorely miss someone who isn’t here, bodies grow fatigued, a harsh word clouds a sunny day. There’s something, though, about lifting up our heads and looking at a new day with hope that puts a song in the heart. And, if the song isn’t in our hearts, it can be in our mouths! We can fake being cheerful. That’s a funny thing but true. We may not feel like singing, but sing, anyway! A song is an antidote for pain.
Several times in the Old Testament, God commands the children of Israel to sing. He told the commander of the Israelite army to put the singers out in front. I can imagine when the battle was going against God’s people and the enemy looked mean and forbidding, the last thing they felt like doing was sing. What is there to sing about, they may have thought.
And, perhaps, when their song began, their voices were weak and hesitant. But, they obeyed. I believe that as they sang, their courage rose. The music grew louder and stronger. And, with the singers in front of them, don’t you imagine that the soldiers took heart? The Israelite army was encouraged, but the enemy was totally discombobulated. What was wrong with those crazy people? Didn’t they know they were about to be defeated? Well, no, they didn’t know and they weren’t.
That cheerful cardinal I mentioned may have had a very bad day yesterday. Maybe there was a close encounter with a cat. Perhaps snow covered almost all of his food source; but, hey! That was yesterday! Today everything may go his way and if it doesn’t, so what? He’s God’s creature. He’s unique and God gave him a song that only he can sing. So he’ll sing it, whether he feels like it or not.
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