I couldn't agree more with what one of my bestie preemie mama friends, Robyn said. "I actually want to trade my extraordinary miracle birth experience with "normal". Really, it doesn't make sense at all. I mean God shows His glory through either experience. But I KNOW my relationship with Him is different, better, and deeper because of what He chose for me. And that is better." (Read her full post here!) And it depends on the day...I will always long to know what a normal birth experience is like, but you know what...some of us in this life just don't get to experience the expected. And that is ok. GOD is healing my heart for that to be ok. I don't need that reason for me to be thankful for His work in my life.
So I'm washing dishes at the kitchen sink today. Ellie was done eating, I got Davis cleaned up, got Beckett cleaned up and let them play while I finished cleaning our lunch dishes. And we start listening to Pandora to some Contemporary Christian music. And as I'm washing, the song 10,000 reasons comes on. (Now, I'm a little behind on my worship music due to the large amount of toddler tunes and Awana music that my 4-year old prefers) I hadn't heard this song before. It's probably old, now that I bring it up. Well, regardless. I love how God meets me through worship. Some of my closest times praising Jesus was in college through singing.
But it just brought me to tears. Have you really listened to the lyrics?
Here is the song on YouTube
"10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)"
[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes
[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find
[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes
[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find
[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore
__________
God can meet you even at the kitchen sink...
and there I realized I definitely have 10,000 reasons to SING LIKE NEVER BEFORE.
And no matter what the frustration, the hard times, the unmet expectation for my kids..
You know what?
The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again.
It's time to sing Your song again.
Jesus, thank you so much for putting Ellie and Beckett on loan to Ben and I. We are forever grateful, and may we always SING like never before until we meet you one day in Heaven.
I love love love that song! It gets turned up far too loud and I sing my little heart out!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder that my children are on loan - puts parenting into perspective.
Love you my friends!
LeAnne
Yeo it is me Mandy...reading what you wrote...reflecting on the disappointment I felt when I learned I had to have a C-section. Nothing at all like what you went through...but oh so devastating to me that I could not have my baby "naturally". I learned to give praise and all the glory to God that I could deliver via a c-section. Otherwise I could never have delivered...both of us would have died and then what? We would be walking in glory~yes~and that would be awesome...but that was not in God's plans...Thank you for sharing from your heart...I love how you write...I loved that song...and yes...our children are on loan and really do belong to God...we have them for such a short while. I love how much you appreciate and love your husband and your children...I love the woman of God you have become in your life! Thank you for all the blogging through the years...I think I have been reading about your life for a little over 4 years now...and well...I just think you are special! c
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