Sing Jesus

When Baker was 2, we lived with my parents. I was pregnant with the twins, and we were in the process of building a new house. It's a blessing that my parents live so close and are so involved in the lives of our children. Living with Mom and Dad at the time was like a cool drink of water, especially after the twins were born. I needed the help more than I could have imagined.

During these 3 months, Mom often put Baker to bed. He slept in what was my brother, Christian's room, and is now my dad's office. In the room was an antique brass bed with plaid and denim bedding. The bed was positioned between two windows both dressed with brown wooden cafe shutters. In the middle of the room was an area rug that warmed up the honey colored wide-planked floor.

Baker loved his room. It was his own. Next to Baker's bed was a wooden rocking chair. The chair belonged to my grandmother. This rocking chair "personified" the idea of a rocking chair with its wooden spindles, hard wooden seat and creaky rockers.

In Baker's two short years, I had sung to him almost every night. My favorite songs to sing were hymns and songs that I learned at church and in Sunday school. For some reason, in those evening hours while holding my baby, the songs would flood to my mind, and I would sing and sing... actually, taking joy in the remembering. Songs like "Blessed be the Tie that Binds", "A Fountain Free", "There is a Balm in Gilead", "Amazing Grace", "This is My Father's World" and "When We all Get to Heaven" would be some that came and went in my evening musical montage.

One song, however, that became a mainstay was the simple, "Jesus Loves Me This I Know." The lyrics go like this:

Jesus loves me! this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
they are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Baker absolutely loved this song. If I forgot to sing it, Baker was sure to remind me.

One stormy night, the rain was hitting the windows on either side of Baker's bed, and there was thunder and lightening that woke Baker up. He was afraid and began calling for me. I didn't hear him. I'm sure I was in a pregnancy-induced coma. Mom did hear Baker, however, and she went into his room to comfort him.

Mom picked Baker up out of his bed and slipped into the wooden rocking chair. As Mom began to rock, Baker said, "Nana, sing Jesus. Sing Jesus, Nana." Baker wanted her to sing "Jesus Loves Me"... a hint of the familiar and a reminder of the comfort that the name of Jesus brings.

I loved hearing Mom recount that story. Such a simple song, such simple lyrics -- simple yet loaded. Don't we all need someone in our lives who "sings Jesus" over us? Don't we all need to be reminded of how much Jesus loves us? In those words, we find rest and comfort.

Jesus' love is unconditional. Jesus is Love. Jesus Loves Me. The Bible tells me so.

Go "sing Jesus" over someone today...