Free to Sing

Today I drove over one of our many mountain passes here in the northwest. (It's more formidable than the one pictured here. :0) Not a favorite pastime for me. Large trucks vied for position. Wind blew against the side of our van and as I took the turns one after another I focused only on driving.

Just before the road started climbing toward the pass, I'd been singing along with a Christmas CD -- a jazzy collection with amazing harmonies and rhythm (Avalon: Joy). But, somewhere as we climbed and the road grew darker with so many trees flanking the ribbon of highway, I stopped singing.

After the summit, the road winds back down, curving and narrowing once again. I still wasn't singing. Soon, the road evened out and split into more lanes while light broke overhead as we cleared the trees. Whew. Deep breath. A new song played on the CD and I started singing along again. That's when I realized I'd been quiet for a while.

Fear'll do that to you.

Fear will take the song away and silence your voice. Fear robs us of joy and being carefree. I'm still learning how to give over my concerns fully to the Lord. Can anybody out there relate? What key strategies have helped you? My most recent plan is to remember God has mercy on those who fear Him (a good and holy fear, which causes us to draw near to God) and He takes pleasure in those who hope in his mercy, so I can trust Him. I can run to Him.

And in His protective care, I can sing.