Christmas is a time of singing. You can’t go five minutes into a holiday movie without someone belting out a carol or two. I think the music associated with this time of year is my favorite aspect of the season, perhaps because I have always admired the poetry in good song. There are few ways to draw more emotion out of a person than with a well-written, sincerely-sung song. Likewise I don’t know of a better “free” therapy one can give to self than to sing. There’s also no better way to build on a happy moment than to punctuate it with a verse or two. In fact, it’s a medicine the Bible specifically prescribes…
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
(James 5:13)
These days, it can be easy to be negative, forlorn, and bitter. I will admit to being carried away with negativity this year, but what helps me to refocus my mind on positive things is, ironically, thinking of the Devil. I’m happy to blame the troubles of my life on him, and then tell myself that I will not encourage the Devil one second longer by remaining discouraged.
Here, I wrote a rhyme, inspired by one of my favorite Christmas stories, befitting this subject…
The Grinch had stole Christmas, or so he had thought;
he took all the presents, from every Who-tot.
He climbed to the peak, of his mountain to hear,
what he thought would be sadness, but instead there was cheer.
Rather than crying, the Whos came to the site,
of the place where their tree, had been taken last night.
And from his mountain-top view, the Grinch heard a new call;
Not pining or griping, but merriment all.
Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. My wife loves it when I start speaking in rhyme; just ask her!
The point is, the Grinch tried his best to ruin every reason to be happy that the Whos of Whoville had, but they had a reason that couldn’t be stolen; they had an internal—dare I say, spiritual—reason for cheer. What did they do, when faced with a loss? They sang, refusing to allow their circumstances to deprive them of their joy.
The Devil will try his best to steal your cheer from you. He will throw everything and the kitchen sink at you. He’s very good at his job, too. If you think long enough, you can recall a time or two he’s succeeded in disrupting your plans. What can we do? Should we fret and frown and let the Devil win?
I don’t know about you, but I’m going to sing.
I’m going to sing because I refuse to do what the Devil wants. He wants me to give up. He wants me sad, defeated, and bitter. I intend to draw closer to Christ, not drift away from the Lord. I intend to read my Bible more, not less. I intend to sing louder, not softer.
I get discouraged easily. From now on, when it happens, I’m going to sing. I hope you will too.
~ Matthew