One Little Word

It is a Grandma weekend with all three of my granddaughters here.
Playing Christmas music reminded me of this Whisper from a few years ago.
It was originally published on December 18, 2019.

This is the time of year to listen to Christmas music.
I confess that I begin listening a bit earlier each year.
I used to wait until after Thanksgiving.
I usually stop listening a few days after Christmas.

Maybe it is the headlines in the news.
Maybe it is the uncertainty of our times.
Maybe it is just a bit of nostalgia.
Perhaps it is a little bit of all those reasons.

Whatever the reason, I began listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving this year.
I began listening to instrumental music that played softly in the background.
Then, I just could not wait.
Bing Crosby, Amy Grant, and Nat King Cole were heard throughout my house.

I love traditional Christmas Carols but songs of sleigh rides and jingle bells steal my heart.
Christmas music brings us back.
We all have memories of those songs.
We can see in our mind’s eye, where we were and what we were doing when we listened.

I can see myself as a little girl next to my record player.
I can hear Alvin and the Chipmunks singing, Christmas Don’t Be Late.
I can hear Alvin, Simon, and Theodore singing.
I can hear David (their human parent) correcting Alvin all the time.

I giggled at the mischievousness of Alvin.
I would never do such a thing.
Perhaps that is why everyone loved Alvin.
We really would do such a thing.

I can see my own children dancing to Michael W. Smith’s version of Jingle Bells.
I can see my daughter, who is now a mother herself, leading the group.
They all wore Santa hats and their choreography even included sleigh bells.
Every time I hear that song, I can see my children in the family room, dancing.

I hear Silent Night and think of a music box I had when I was a girl.
It was an angel on a red velvet base.
It was always placed next to our manger, the same set I still have in my home today.
I would wind it up and listen to the song, Silent Night.

The angel did not turn on the base.
In fact, there was no motion at all.
It was simply an angel on a red velvet base with the song playing ever so softly.
I thought it was wonderful.

My favorite Christmas song is, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.
That song always makes my throat tighten.
There is something about the lyrics that touch my heart.
I think it is because it is a song about memory and hope.

It is about remembering when everyone was together last Christmas.
It is about hoping they will all be together again this Christmas.
It speaks of the fragility of life.
That fragility seems to be more pronounced at Christmas time.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
From now on our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yuletide gay
From now on our troubles will be miles away
Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more
Through the years we all will be together
If the fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now

I always sang that song the way it was written.
Many years later, I heard the song differently.
How I wish I could remember the person who sang it the new way.
It was a small change in one line that made all the difference.

Through the years we all will be together, if the fates allow, was the original lyric.
This person changed one word.
This person made the song explode with Truth.
This person changed the word, fates, to LORD.

Through the years we all will be together, if the LORD allows.
There it was.
Truth.
Hope that is firmly placed in God’s hands.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16)

One word change made all the difference.
Since that day, I sing the song differently.
I sing with Hope based on the Lord’s will.
I sing Truth, that my life and my family are firmly in God’s hands.

We live our lives with such self sufficiency.
Confidence is a good thing if kept in check.
All we have and all we are comes from God.
It is His Sovereign will that sustains us.

Go ahead, sing the song.
Change that one word.
Change fates to LORD.
It makes all the difference.