I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

So I was thinking this morning.  Scary, I know.

I was thinking about the sunshine.  I was thinking about the warmer weather.  I was thinking about the future.  And I was thinking about that verse.  You know, "This is the day the Lord has made.  Let us be glad and rejoice in it."  (Also known as Psalm 118:24)

Let me take you back a few years...  There was a time when I was going through something not very great.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, there have been a few of those times for me, as I'm sure there has been for every single one of you reading this post.

Knowing I'd felt trapped and caged in my own situation, my aunt would call me every day- rain or shine, grouchy or no- to say the following:

"Good morning, Lexie!  This is the day the Lord has made!  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!  I love you!"

And each day, I felt a little less resentful toward hearing that verse.  I had felt a bit like a caged bird.  I felt trapped in the situation I found myself in, clinging to God and having hope that new and better things would come.

This aunt, the one who dutifully and faithfully called every morning for months, was the aunt who taught me to sing.  Both figuratively and literally.

When I was very young, my aunt would sing to me, and then I would sing back to her.  Occasionally, during the holidays, we'll sing together for the family.  And how I cherish those times.

In this case, I was an adult, and she taught me to do the same thing.  She sang to me God's praises.  And I would sing them back to her.  But it took a while to FEEL them.  At first, it was just out of habit.  Like a mockingbird.  I would copy and regurgitate what I'd heard, though I didn't always feel it.

Then, one day, I woke up, and I called my aunt first.  I left her a message:

"Good morning!  This is the day the Lord has made!  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!  I love you!"

The same message she'd left me for months.  The same message I'd finally begun to feel and know, rather than just repeating.

I may have been that caged bird still, but I was singing something I believed.

It's like that in life, sometimes, isn't it?  Some days we just have to make it through.  We go through the motions when life is hard, knowing- someday- we'll FEEL again.

So, if you're in that spot now.  You feel trapped- or caged- know that there is hope.  There is a brighter day ahead.  (Think Jeremiah 29:11- it's my favorite verse.)

Say the following until you believe it:

"This is the day that the Lord has made!  I will rejoice and be glad in it!  He loves me!"

It's super cheesy, and it may take you a while.  But, one day, you'll wake up singing His praises.  Not because it's habit, but because you FEEL again.

Today, sing His praises!

In His Love,
Lex <3

Seasons, Change, and Blissful Ignorance

Not exactly politically correct.  But still in a state of blissful ignorance with my cousins (circa 1990).  

{From left: Ben Montgomery, Jason Hunt, Seneca (Hunt) Spindler, Sam Montgomery, myself}

The leaves are changing colors here in central Illinois, and- in some ways- I feel as if I'm changing colors too. 

As it moves into a new season outside my window, I'm starting to move into a new season of my life.  In less than three months, I'll be graduating with my Masters and moving my life to Nashville, Tennessee.  Am I excited?  Yes.  Am I terrified?  Absolutely.

Things are changing.  It's a difficult economy with a lot of uncertainty.  People are unemployed.  Businesses are going under.

But I look outside my window, and I'm seeing that the world is still spinning.

In fact, from where I'm sitting currently, I can see past the multi-colored leaves on the trees into the daycare on campus.  The children are running around the play area- screaming and laughing.  And I can hear it through these heavy walls.  They have no idea what's happening with the budget or the economy.  They're blissfully ignorant to the trouble around them. 

I want to be like those children, in a way.  So often, I find myself worrying about what's going to happen in the next hour, the next week and the next year.  I wonder when I'll find employment in Nashville and when my music will pick up again. 

But we really don't need to worry about those things do we?

I mean, God makes sure the world spins every day.  Therefore, I think I can trust Him enough to keep my world spinning.

That's my challenge to you today.  Spend less time worrying and more time being blissfully ignorant.  Scream and run and laugh.  And look at the leaves.  God has painted them a million different colors just for you.

Stop worrying about what you can't control and start focusing on change.  It's a beautiful time of year, and it's a beautiful time in life.

Trust Him.

In His Love,
Lex <3