Quieted by Singing!

Recently I had one of those grandparent moments that melted my heart. Our grandson had taken a really good nap…2 plus hours. However, when he awoke, he was just the opposite of how he had gone to sleep. How can you put down an angel and somehow they change character when they wake up?!! He was not a happy camper when he awoke. He cried inconsolably. Wailing!

So, I tried our normal routine. When he wakes up, I pick him up (getting more difficult now that he is nearly 22 months old), sit down in the rocker, take a blankee and rock him. Even this didn’t help. So, I tried my secret weapon. I started singing.

I am famous for my singing ability. Or, maybe it is infamous. I remember in my freshman year of high school when I suggested to the Bible Club leadership that I could sing a solo for club. They said, “Dave, you don’t sing!” I still have emotional bruises in my side where our son placed his elbows when he was a teenager in church and I was belting out one of the songs. And, our youngest once awoke in a fear-filled night, and I started singing “His sheep am I.” After a few bars, she said, “OK, Dad. You can go back to sleep!”

So, you can imagine my amazement as I launched into “Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly, Lavender’s green” and the little guy in my arms instantly went quiet. At last, someone appreciates my singing! It can even calm a tearful grandchild. Or, maybe it was silent amazement on his part about what he was hearing. Maybe I scared the child into stillness?

Whichever, it does remind me that God sings to us… ZEP 3:17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

And, his song can quiet our grumpies…if we listen well.