Sing While You Can

 

               Helen* mouthed the words to the songs. She sat quietly in the second pew from the front with a hymnal open on her lap. Like many of our elderly church members, sitting near the front helped her to hear the music though she was now partially deaf.

                I was very happy to see her at church that Sunday evening because she had recently been in the hospital. Sometimes our church members in their 80’s or 90’s go to the hospital and never come back. But Helen had returned.

                I was not the only person relieved to see her. After the service, Helen was surrounded by well-wishing friends who wanted to know how she was doing, and how they could help. I stood near the edge of the crowd.

                “It’s good to be back,” she whispered. “I just wish I could sing. But I have no breath anymore because of my lungs. I loved to sing to Jesus. And I can’t anymore.”

                After I hugged Helen and told her I’d been praying for her, I gathered my purse and bible from my pew. Heavy thoughts settled over me as Helen’s words echoed in my ears, “I just wish I could sing.”

              I also love to sing to Jesus. But I had never considered before that the day might come that I had no breath. In fact, I had taken breathing completely for granted.

In Acts chapter 17, Paul says of God, “Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.” (Acts 17:25- CSB Translation.)  

The very breath in our lungs is a gift from God. We can’t even sing a song of praise to Him without Him supplying our oxygen and our lung health.

How often had I, with healthy, young, lungs, sat in a pew without singing, for no particularly good reason? Too often, I’m sure.

This was years ago. Helen has long since gone to be with Jesus and I know she is singing His praises with loud, healthy, brand new lungs.

I’ve since given birth to three babies, and I’m just at the beginning of my 3^rd trimester with my fourth pregnancy. As the baby grows and I will be supporting the oxygen needs of myself and an unborn baby, it will not be long before I have no breath to sing. It even takes a few months after labor for my normal singing voice to return completely.  

But eventually, the breathlessness will pass and I will be able to sing again. The Lord knows all of this- and He will understand that for a season, I may need to mouth the words, sing quietly, or just sit and listen to the music.

Our very breath is a gift from God- and the day may come when it’s gone and we are physically incapable of singing, at least for a season.

Whether you have a beautiful voice, or can’t hold a tune in a bucket, sing praises to God here on earth...while you still can.