My wife and I have a playlist entitled “Our Love” (much to the groans of our teenage children). It has a lot of love songs from various artists, but a couple definitely get played a more than the others, including “Annie’s Song” by John Denver. We were actually following each other home at night in different vehicles many years ago, and I stopped and serenaded her with it. – right on the country road! Didn’t even make too many coyotes howl…
But there’s another song. It doesn’t have a big artist attached to it, and it won’t be professionally recorded. It’s one I wrote for her shortly after I graduated college called “Feel Like Home”. It will not win any awards, but the look on Sara’s face when I sing it is all I need. She likes the other songs, but she loves the one new song I sang to her.
“Sing to the Lord a new song.” (Psalm 96:1)
I was reminded recently that the God who created me loves to hear a new song from me, too. I chose to follow Jesus many, many years ago, and for some people, that is one of the last new songs they sing to the Lord. But He always loves to hear a new song from us.
So that left me wondering what ‘new song’ I could bring Him where I’m at in life right now. It didn’t take me long to think of a few areas where it’s time for some new music and updated lyrics.
One is my health and physical care. I need to not just ‘do better’ but sing a brand-new song with how I take care of myself.
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you…so glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Whether it’s exercising, eating better, getting rest, etc., there is so much more I could be doing to take personal responsibility in this area.
Another is the use of electronics in my life, starting with my phone.
“Always make good use of the time.” (Colossians 4:5)
I’m not the guy who is going to say that playing video games or scrolling on your phone should never happen. But I do need to be the husband and father that knows those things need to have better boundaries in my life.
I can also sing at least a better song in my care and gentle love of my absolutely incredible wife. I do try to show that love and care to her consistently, but the reality is that I know I can do better. How do I know that?
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25)
Only when I am fully loving her as Christ loved the church can I say “mission accomplished”. I know I still have much work to do according to that standard!
Finally, I can sing a new song when it comes to quality time with my children. They are growing fast (all teenagers now, and one in college!). I want to invest in them more. Plus, they are pretty great to hang out with, too!
It’s interesting, isn’t it, that the last one is tied directly to some of the others on my list? Our lives are interconnected – the physical, the mental, the emotional, and certainly the spiritual. The more one takes the shape that it was designed to take, the more everything else starts to look the way it should.
So, I share this both to verbalize the areas that are on my heart and also to encourage you to think of what area you might be able to “sing a new song to the Lord” in the days, weeks and months ahead.
And as we sing our songs to Him, how mind-blowing is it to know that He sings over us first.
“The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He…will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
Another version says He will rejoice over us with “shouts of joy”! Now that makes me want to sing all the more!