Sing to the Lord

I am already a day behind on my commitment to do a series of reflections on Advent, but its been a busy weekend, and I ran out of energy.  Since this is intended to be a reflective thing, stress is not going to improve the situation!  So I am starting on Day 2 with a Psalm of gratitude:

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.  (Psalm 104:33)

I sang my first solo, Jesus Loves Me, in church at age 3.  I thought it was fun, and it became the first of many opportunities for me to share my love of and gift for music.  I started playing around on the piano at age four, picking out chords and recognizing there were octaves and generally learning about the sounds.  My mother decided I had better learn correctly, so she got me lessons, and I began to develop a talent which I continue to use even today.

There is one common denominator in all this.  When I have performed, it has always been to the glory of the creator who made me and gave me this talent.  I am so grateful to share the message of his love to those who love him already, and especially to those who may not know him but are looking for him.  Music is therapy for the soul, and reaches people when words cannot.

My voice is not what it used to be when I won awards.  My piano playing lacks the perfection and skill it showed when I was young.  It is frustrating to see your skills deteriorating, aging fingers stiffening up and vocal chords losing their power and tone.  But I will sing for the Lord until my last breath, because his grace is my redemption, and my gratitude is unending.  Using my talent for his glory is a gift of love from me to my God.

Dear Lord.  Thank you for the gift of music in my life.  You have enriched me far beyond what I deserve, and I am so grateful for all it has brought me.  Thank you for the family and friends with whom I am blessed to make music.  The memories we have made, the connections with each other we have built, and the people we have reached are all a gift from you, and so undeserved.  I will sing to your glory as long as I have voice and mind.  Amen.