Sing!
My husband and I each have different ways of helping my daughter get to sleep. She has no problem stating her preference about which routines she wants each of us to lead for her. She likes when my husband goes through a long list of all the people who love her: "Dada loves you, Mama loves you..." "Who ehs wuvs me?" (enter all the other family members and close friends she has) "Who ehs wuvs me?" "God loves you, Jesus loves you, Holy Spirit loves you." "Yep." Whenever it is my turn to lead bedtime with my daughter, she always asks me to sing to her. We go through many songs, but there is always one that she decides will be "the one" that I sing over and over again, as she fades further into sleepiness. As I sing, I notice her body stills and calms, her eyes struggle to remain open, and she lets out a big sigh. I can see her physically getting more comfortable, as she releases her thoughts and emotions from that day, into the mysterious world of sleep. One evening, after she fell asleep, I was particularly tired, so I decided to get ready for bed, myself. Instead of listening aloud to the Lectio365 app (like I try to do most evenings,) I read the passages for that day's meditation, in my mind, so as not to wake the toddler. Y'all. I had to hold back actual laughter. The scripture was this: By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me Psalm 42:8 (NIV UK) I had just finished singing to my daughter. My song was with her that night. It comforted her and helped her feel safe and vulnerable enough to leave consciousness for sleep. What a gift! I meditated on that verse for probably an hour! I just laid there in bed, contemplating all the meaning held in the example God gave me. Just as I sing to my daughter and she finds comfort in the familiarity of my voice, so I can find comfort in my God, as I trust that God is singing over me. I'm grateful for that glimmer of delight. Whether you have perfect pitch, can kind of hold a tune, or have no sense of tone at all, take some time to sing this week! And as you do, notice how it makes you feel. Then take some time to imagine God singing and lovingly gazing upon you, God's child.
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