There are few sounds I love more than to hear the birds singing outside my window. It always beckons me to come outdoors, to see the world anew. It lifts my spirits on even the darkest and dreariest days. There is music when the birds sing! It is music enough to fill the world with wonder. If we have forgotten our dreams, these tiny creatures seem to remind us to try again.
The world can make us weary. The tragedy that has occurred in Uvalde, Texas, is heartbreaking; we mourn with the families who have lost their loved ones. We have no answers for these families to comfort them; we do have our prayers to offer up on their behalf. God understands when we are broken and weary; His mercy, love, and compassion are without end.
Our combined prayers and voices create music that soothes a weary and tired world. We often think that our voices do not matter, and yet the ever-so-soft sound of hope makes such a difference in people’s lives.
It is a beautiful thing to listen as monks chant their verses; it is a meditation that stirs our hearts and must bring great joy to God. When we are deeply distressed, these chants can calm us. It is a balm for the soul, and the soul longs for music uplifted to God.
We may not sing as wondrously as do so many monks in unison, but our songs count too. Many times, in my own life, I have sung a song of faith over and over, a meditation that brings me peace. (I imagine if someone were listening, they might find it odd, but the meditation brings me comfort.)
When the world makes us so very tired, we can recite Psalms out loud, whisper prayers in the darkness, walk in the woods and listen to nature’s choir. Here in the still places in the world, we find a sanctuary, a place to simply ‘be’. This gives us strength to ‘give back’ to those who are hurting, and to give ourselves a break as well.
Like birds set free with wings to fly, we carry a message of hope into the world around us. We light candles, one to another in the darkness. God’s love ignites the candles, and they glow in profusion.
Love is a Holy gift from God. It has power. It has life. It sets us free. Love does have the power to change the world, one person at a time.
The birds sing their little hearts out rain or shine. They radiate so much joy that it could almost move a person to tears. They hop about on my porch railings, and they seemingly dance for joy!
The raindrops come, sure and steady; the teardrops slide down our cheeks and sting our eyes. Still, deep down inside, we feel that quiver of hope, that endless expanse of love God has placed within our souls. Because of His grace, we hear the music; we understand the beat of life that we must follow.
Our God knows our heart strings better than anyone else. The heart strings are unique to each of us. We are the instruments that play in this world to do God’s will, to fulfill His purpose on this earth. We are finely tuned and capable of great things with the help of God.
Each morning we arise and begin the day with prayer. We listen intently for that sweet melody of life, that sure and certain explosion of sound that is key to our comings and goings throughout the day. To be sure, God guards the heart strings, knows each and every chord.
In Lamentations 3: 22-23, we read the following: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; They are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness.”
John Hintz has written an article in Mighty Oaks, July 3, 2019. In this article, “He has New Mercies for us Each and Every Day”, Hintz comments, “Our contentment is not found in this world, but in God’s constant and consistent mercy: His saving grace.”
When we place our focus on God’s grace, the birds seem to sing a little bit sweeter. We hear our own music more clearly because we know we can trust the master composer. We find joy within our very souls! There is One who knows us well and captures every tear within His heart. It is hard to understand such a great and abiding love, and yet, it is true. This is the love story that we share with the world; this is the love story that changes absolutely everything!
John 8:12: “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
One of my favorite poems by Emily Dickinson is “Hope is the thing with feathers”. I am posting the first stanza of her poem:
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all.
So very beautiful, Linda. Your prose are like poetry! Always cheers my heart to read your posts.
Thank you! We have had a string of rainy days, and a great many birds have been visiting my porch. Rain or shine, they just keep singing! 🙂
Beautiful post, Linda. So poetic.
My heart is broken and as the world grieves over another senseless act of violence against innocent children, I know Jesus weeps right along with us. What breaks our hearts breaks the heart of God.
I also find solace in my yard and nature. I find the birdsongs comforting as you do, Linda. They keep coming to my deck to brighten my day. God bless … enjoy this season.
We do grieve. Our prayers carry weight and God hears each and every one. All that prayer matters. It builds up the people of God so that we can take care of one another. It is like many stones all placed one upon the other. We build a tower of prayer, a tower of hope. God blesses the tower, and His angels keep watch. The tower does not topple. It is strong against all kinds of attack. And, the more prayers, the higher the tower, every stone placed ‘just so’. Prayer is everything! God is always listening, no matter what.
When I hear the birds each morning and throughout the day, Hope in me feels bigger. Same ole world but there are joyous songs out there. Strange to think God uses the birds to show us how to sing a joyful song in the midst of much evil and selfishness out there. Only God could do that. As well flowing as a birdsong post Linda…thanks
Yes! Only God could understand how deeply we would need nature. Only God could understand that without the babbling brooks and jumping fish, we would feel so alone. We needed all these beautiful creatures to keep us company here upon the earth. They cheer us on our way, the owls that hoot at night, and the squirrels that entertain us by day. (Not to mention the swans, and the geese, deer that leap before our eyes, frogs that ‘sing’ us to sleep.) Of course, the list is endless!
The birds were singing outside as I read your profound and moving reflection. Your words are a source of comfort during a very difficult and complex time. I especially appreciated these words: “If we have forgotten our dreams, these tiny creatures seem to remind us to try again.” I enjoy our conversations – always a joy to stop by.
It is always a joy to have you stop by! In the difficult times, we must pause and reflect on what is right with the world; there are so many beautiful people out there, so many people who make the world a better place. These souls sprinkle joy wherever they go, they make impossible dreams come true. Collectively, these ‘sprinkles’ overcome so much. Imagine a beautiful cake, resplendent with frosting and colorful sparkles. It is magnificent! Then someone sticks their fingers in the cake and parts of the cake crumble. The cake is changed, but it is still a good cake, a cake baked with love, a masterpiece in its own right. 🙂
I love cake!!! Especially baked with love!!! Hugs!
I love cake too! 🙂 Sending hugs back to you! God is good. He is always good! We trust the cake-baking to Him. (He has the best recipes!)
I, too, take great joy and comfort in birdsong, perhaps now more than ever because it’s such a constant.
There are few things more uplifting in the morning than the sound of birds singing. It creates a bright welcome to the day, the sense that all is well.
Absolutely! When I go outside and hear the birds singing, I’ll stop in my tracks to listen.
🙂 🙂 🙂
That’s a lovely poem! And yes, the voices raised and prayer and praise help us all. I saw a Facebook post yesterday on a church’s page that said essentially, prayer is worthless without change and action. And while I do believe in action to solve problems, I thought it incredibly sad that a church would post that. Prayer is NEVER worthless, in my opinion. It gives us hope and a good reason to hope…..
We are encouraged to ‘pray without ceasing’. 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Of course, that does not mean continuous formal prayer. It means ‘talking’ to God about any number of things at any given time throughout the day. We talk to God, and He listens. It is spontaneous and natural conversation. (The formal prayers are important too.) I find it strange that a church would post something like that. How do we know what changes and actions to take if we do not talk to God about it first? We are instructed to pray beginning with “The Lord’s Prayer. It is fundamental to who we are as Christians and people of faith.
Beautiful wise advice in this time of deep sorrow, monks chanting touches my heart every time!
Yesterday, I listened to several different groups of monks chanting. I closed my eyes and just listened. It does bring a great deal of peace. 🙂
Since my Thursday post on it being the time for me to be silent, I’ve been hearing the birds around here, especially the robins, more clearly. Birdsong has a special connotation for me. It tells me Mother Mary is close by, something I learned from the ancient Guadalupe Marian apparitions in Mexico which were first heralded by birdsong. And on the Thursday of my post, I heard birds sing like never before just outside my office, a place I don’t quite recall hearing birds before. I guess the Lord wanted me to know His beloved Mother was close by, a mere prayer away, and so He sent the birds to sing their welcome.
Today, your post has me thinking about birds and their precious singing.
What if they’re singing to let us know that the Uvalde children and adults are safe in Jesus now?
What if birdsong is actually .. songs sung by those who have gone before us, sung now to comfort the sorrowing?
Your comment has brought me to tears. I don’t know what to say. I only know that in recent days, I have never heard so many birds singing…and in unexpected places. God comforts his people in so many ways. We are so blessed! All of creation and all of God’s children are in our Heavenly Father’s care. With faith, we trust in His provision and mercy. It is not our job to know and understand all things. I think of the passage from Luke 12: 4-7. “God’s eye is on the sparrow…” If His eye is on the sparrow, we know that we can trust that He is with us at all times. When we are afraid, we focus on the light of Christ to navigate our way. His light sustains us through it all.
Reading what you have said, I wonder if the angels are going around now, placing their hands upon people’s ears, opening them up to hear the mystical sounds of heaven so easily missed. Yet, it is clear that you have heard this heavenly chorus, because the knowing of the path ahead now matters less than your desire to trust Him with all your heart.
So much of life is cloaked in mystery. I believe the angels are continuously working on our behalf. It is true that we are not always aware of them, but perhaps, that makes it all the more wonderful. Life is like a slow dance, and we must always be listening to the music. The music is always playing, but we do ‘miss it’ because we worry about many things that God wishes we would not worry about. All we can do is try to listen with our hearts wide open; we can only do this with the help of God. The key to everything in life is trusting Him completely. The more we trust, the better able we are to hear the music. All the notes bring us full circle and Jesus waits for us there. He never gives up on us. His patience is without end. A lesson for us all.
Indeed it is.
Amen
Amen!
So well said, Linda. And so uplifting after so much darkness.
We move forward in faith, trusting in God at all times. John 1:5: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who has promised is faithful.”
Your message in itself feels like a healing balm, Linda. I was just talking with another blogger about birdsong and how it’s shown to reduce stress 30% more than silence or a meditation app. The love of Nature is indeed healing. 🌞
Nature does heal us in so many ways. It is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Besides all of my indoor plants, I like to bring a bit of nature into the house throughout the seasons. This time of year, I take out my jars of shells. In the winter, I have pinecones in a basket. When I have to be indoors, it reminds me of all the beauty outdoors. In the wintertime, I love to look at my little orange tree. It is such a happy thing!
Your seasonal practices sound delightful! Thanks for sharing! 🌞
🙂 🙂 🙂
The birds are singing away right now as I type. It is such a glorious sound, and I love that it seems to go on almost all day this time of year. I know they’re singing at 4 AM and 8:30 PM. . .beauty amidst the darkness.
The birds bring us so much joy from break of day to the setting of the sun! It is such a blessing! I am glad that you can hear them singing as you type…music to fill your days! 🙂
💙
Thank you for these words of wisdom, comfort, & encouragement. Beautiful message, Linda, and so true the way nature nurtures our weary spirits.
When nothing seems to be going right, a walk in the great outdoors usually helps. There is the beauty of nature, and a quiet place to sort things out. When you look up at the sky, problems do not seem quite so insurmountable. There is the sense that just as there are brutal storms in nature, our ‘storms’ too, will pass. The sun will shine again. 🙂
I love the sound of birdsong too. It’s just such the purest sound x
Yes! We are blessed! 🙂
I’m another bird lover who revels in their spring songs. They do help to sooth the battered soul, don’t they? And birds are a constant reminder of God’s loving, attentive care (Matthew 6:26). With you, Linda, and many others, my heart aches for the numerous families dealing with heavy grief over the loss of loved ones, victims of the evil in this world. Most of us are not in a position to help stop the madness, but we can PRAY! And pray we must.
Yes! We can pray! God hears our every prayer, and that is a great comfort.
AMEN to that!