After six days of cabin fever—and knowing my severe cold germs didn’t need to be shared—I finally headed to town.
At last I was feeling better, and a friend needed help. What surprised me most was discovering just how loudly you can sing in a car when you’re all by yourself.
As gentle white snow flurries drifted down, nothing could dampen the sunshine in my soul. Jamie MacDonald’s song flooded the car and my heart: “You can’t take my song. I found a joy that feels like home. Can’t live without it. Gives me the hope to carry on. No doubt about it. I’ve got a story, it’s my testimony. I’m gonna shout it—You can’t take my song.”
Yet only a week earlier, my song had felt faint. Life has a way of doing that sometimes. When it does, I reach for an old tool from my “tool chest,” a simple practice that has helped me more times than I can count.
At the breakfast table I began listing my blessings, slowly, one by one. By the time I reached number twelve, big alligator tears of gratitude streamed down my face. There is something powerful about counting blessings in the middle of a trial. Worry and gratitude cannot occupy the same space for long. Blessings win every time.
Psalm 103:2 reminds us, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”
When we intentionally recall the goodness God has shown us, our focus begins to shift. The problems may still exist, but they no longer hold the center of our attention. Gratitude lifts our spirits in ways nothing else can.
Have you ever flown a kite? There’s a giddy, unexplainable joy the moment it finally catches the wind and begins to soar. In much the same way, when our spirits reach for God, our souls rise on the steady wind of His presence. Scripture reminds us again and again that true joy is found there. “In Your presence there is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11) “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)
That joy isn’t dependent on circumstances. It flows from knowing the One who holds them all. So even when the melody of life grows quiet for a time, the song itself is never gone.
The world may try to drown it out with worry, sickness, or sorrow, but the song God places in our hearts cannot be stolen. When we remember His goodness and lift our eyes to Him, the melody returns—stronger than before.
And once you’ve discovered that kind of joy, you realize something wonderful: No matter what comes your way…..no one can take your song.