Soul Song

Job 11:16-18 - You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away.  Your life will be brighter than the noonday.  Even darkness will be as bright as morning.  Having hope will give you courage.  You will be protected and will rest in safety. 

Hi. 

Yes, I'm talking to you. 

I know you're hurting.  I can feel your pain.

Sit back and let me tell you a story.  Maybe you've heard this one before.

Once upon a time, there lived a lonely little girl whose only friend was the forest.  Every day, she walked up and down the rocky paths, listening to the birds trill their chipper melodies and the insects drone on and on about work.  The leaves rustled like a thousand muffled footsteps, and somehow the harmony in the woods helped her forget how lonely she was.

One day, she noticed a bright red spot in the path.  It looked like a splotch of paint.  The splotch hopped from one rock to another, fluttering its scarlet wings, and she realized it wasn't paint.  It was a bird.  All the birds that lived in the forest were gray and not very pretty.  But this bird was different.  It didn't blend in with the forest the way the other birds did.  Watching the little red bird filled her heart with blue skies and sunbeams.

As her mother tucked her into bed that night, the little girl asked about the red bird.

"It's called a cardinal," her mother said.  "Cardinals are very powerful birds.  They can help you find your Soul Song."

"What's a Soul Song?" the girl asked.

"A Soul Song is a moment that speaks to your heart.  It can be anything.  A night when the stars dance for you.  The sun washing away the darkness.  A snuggly hug or a kiss goodnight.  Whatever brings peace to your soul.  That's a Soul Song.  Now close your eyes and go to sleep, my little bird-watcher."

As she drifted into the Kingdom of Dreams, a red speck skipped alongside her.

The little girl went to the woods the next day and the next day and the next, and as she set out each morning, her heart was filled with blue skies and sunbeams.  But each evening she trudged home with a heart whose light had burned out.  The cardinal had disappeared. 

Eventually, she stopped looking for him.  She tried very hard to forget him.  The forest's choir sang to her again, but the harmony was different.  Something was missing. 

And then one day, a breath of wind from crimson wings danced past her face.  She chased it, but the cardinal was too fast.  It disappeared into a bush freckled with ruby flowers, and got lost in the bejeweled vines.

From then on, the little girl brought a bird cage with her whenever she went to the woods.  If she could catch the cardinal, she would have her very own Soul Song and her heart would always be filled with blue skies and sunbeams.

Many days past, and she got discouraged.  Loneliness turned the skies gray and blotted out the sunlight.  She missed the cardinal terribly.

And then she saw him, perched on a low branch.  He stared at her with careful, ebony eyes.  She sat down on a tree stump and began to cry.

When she looked up, an old man was sitting beside her.  He had a scruffy white beard and bright blue eyes.  His tan vest had lots of pockets.  Binoculars hung around his neck.  He was watching the cardinal, too.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"I've been searching and searching for this cardinal.  Now I found him, but I forgot to bring my bird cage so I could take him home with me!" she cried.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Because he has the most beautiful red feathers I've ever seen.  And he fills my heart with sunshine!"

"I see.  So you wanted to put him in a cage and take him home because you're lonely?"

The little girl nodded, hanging her head.

"Do you think the cardinal would like being in a cage?" the old man asked.

"Well..."  The girl paused to think.  "I would feed him and play with him and clean out his cage every day.  It would be a very nice life!"

"But would he be happy?"

The little girl looked around at the the cardinal's endless home in the forest.  She watched him hop from branch to branch and thought about the one tiny swing inside the bird cage.  

"No," she whispered.

"Don't chase the cardinal," the man said.  "Don't try to put him in a cage.  If you take away his joy, the reasons he makes you happy will disappear, too."

The little girl thought for a moment.  "You mean we'll get bored with each other?" she asked.

The old man chuckled and nodded.  "Something like that."  Then he stood up and walked away, whistling a tune that sounded a lot like the melody of the forest.  

The girl sat there watching the cardinal as the light faded around her.  He danced and frolicked in the tree, stopping every once in a while to look at her.  When nothing but a blush of color was left in the day, she started for home.  The cardinal hopped along the branches beside her as she walked.  As the path curved, there was a flash of scarlet, and he was gone.

Darkness seeped in.  The little girl stared out her window into the beginnings of night, wondering if she'd said goodbye to the cardinal for the last time.  That night, the Kingdom of Dreams was bathed in crimson tears.

The next morning, fiery sunlight streamed into her room.  It was so bright, she could see it even with her eyes closed.  She squinted, and looked toward the window.  A tiny shadow skipped around inside the brilliant light. 

And her soul began to sing.

(Not)  The End.

Epilogue

What is your Soul Song?

I wish I could write a thousand lines, filling in all your blanks.  But I can't.  I don't know why God tells us to do the things He does.  Sometimes it seems to me like the things I hear from Him are things He would never say.  But then I remember - I am not God.  It's not up to me to interpret, just to let go and follow.  One thing I do know is that holding on to something too tight destroys Destiny.  It interferes with His Divine Decree for you.  I imagine He doesn't like it one bit when we try to recreate His Design with our death grips.  All those eons He spent weaving our Fates together in an infinite tapestry, and in the blink of an eye, we rip it to pieces.  Destinies begin to unravel.  Souls stop singing.

He will direct you out of this misery into golden sunshine where the cardinals dance in the trees.  Place your hope and trust in Him, and He will give you the gift of courage for whatever He's calling your heart to do.

Expect hills.   Expect people to be oblong.  Expect monsters to come roaring out of your closet.  But don't avoid the hills.  Don't keep waiting for people to become round.  Don't slam the door on the monsters.  You've been doing that for way too long.  It's time to make a change.  In you.

While I have your attention, make sure you're listening for those three little words.  They are the Soul Song's greatest hit.  He's whispering them to your heart right now. 

Can you hear Him?