This Is My Song and I Sing

"This Is My Song and I Sing"
by Virginia Knowles

This is my song and I sing
Lyric of life, medley of my days
Melody and harmony
Solo, duet, chorale, round
Love song and lullaby
Anthem and protest chant
Rhapsody and dirge
Staccato, legato, crescendo, rest
Measure on measure, mystery on mystery, mercy on mercy
Stories of love, loss, faith, adventure, struggle, hope, grief, Heaven at last
I sing my own part as only I can
These lines, this life, penned by One who sang me into being
Who still rejoices over me with singing
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!
This song of my pilgrimage
A cry of jubilee long coming
Echoing into an eternity of praise
This is my life and I live it
This is my song and I sing.

~*~*~

Weeks ago, a friend e-mailed and asked for advice in an area where she knew I had some real life experience. Serendipitously, something dawned on me as I replied to her. This epiphany was that everything we go through in life (whether it is thrilling, joyful, confusing, distressing, challenging or simultaneously all of the above) becomes part of our “life song.” It weaves itself into the message that we communicate to those around us, even when we don’t know they are listening or watching. The phrase “this is my song and I sing” started dancing in my head, so the next day I sat down and rough drafted the poem. I set it aside for several days, then finally finished it two weeks ago and shared it with a few close friends and family members. I hope it will be a blessing to you as well, maybe a comfort on a day of struggle or grief.

There are so many things I could say in conjunction with the lines of this poem. The one I most want to share with you is that God did not design you with a cookie cutter, and he didn’t abandon you on his drawing board either. You are unique and you are loved! Your story is one-of-a-kind, even while it is interconnected and overlapping with so many others. You may not conform to the expectations that others have for you. You may even encounter plot twists that you never thought you would see written into God’s script for your life. Yet when viewed through the clear and far-seeing lens of his providential care for you, whatever you experience can take you a deeper place, a richer grace. You may find a new song rising in your heart. You will be equipped to thrive with more endurance in the future. You could gain the courage to lay down some baggage that’s been weighing heavily on you or to stand up for a cause that has now become dear to you. You might empathize more compassionately with others whom you would have otherwise been tempted to judge harshly – and you will be able to advise them more wisely as they walk through the same things in life.

And if I can give you some hard-won advice gained through my own challenging experiences, it is to trust in the Lord who watches over us, whose abundant grace and mercy are available to all who enter into his Throne Room. Don’t evaluate yourself by the performance of others who are on your Pedestal of Perfection or in your Hall of Fame. You have your own beautiful song to sing, your own sacred life to live. The world awaits your melody!

Blessings,
Virginia

P.S. Here are links to several of my other related articles on this blog and on my web site:

ruth and Grace in the Stories of Our Lives
"My Glorious Dishtowel" Redux and More
Come Weary Moms!
The Holy Wild
Sawdust and Buttons: Motherhood and the Vibrant Life
The Dance of Hope (and a note on journaling)
Rain Songs
We Live in Deeds, Not Years...
Living from the Deep Places of the Heart