How Can I Keep From Singing?

My life flows on in endless song above earth's lamentation
I hear the real, tho' far off hymn...that hails a new creation
Thru all the tumult and the strife, I hear its music ringing
It sounds an echo in my soul...How can I keep from singing?  - Anne Warner, 1864

The great philosopher Yoda once said, "There is no try...only do."  That sounds good on paper, but sometimes "try" is all I've got.  There are moments in all of our lives when our inclination is to just give up.  Or at least there are in mine.  I have days that are full of self-pity.  I have hours of self-doubt.  On rare occasions, I have moments of self-loathing.  It is at times like these when my faith takes a beating, because I quit trusting God and worry too much about my own abilities to overcome my issues and my sins.  But then there are days like yesterday that make my soul soar and remind me that I am blessed and loved beyond all reason.  At such times I find myself humming a song I learned at Quaker Lake Camp all those years ago- "How can I keep from singing?"

It is hard not to sing when you are sharing the majesty of the Easter story with friends on Twitter on a Saturday night.  It is impossible to keep your heart quiet when you gather with the family of God and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on a glorious Sunday morning.  It is uplifting to know that your family loves you even when you are grumpy and irritable- and you just need to shout for joy.  It is incredible to spend time with old friends who know your faults and failures and invite you to lunch anyway on a Resurrection Sunday- and hymns of praise just well up inside of you.  It didn't take me long to realize that I just needed to get over myself and sing praise to a God who loves me no matter my mood or my insecurities.  Jesus died so that my moments of doubt will not separate me from my Heavenly Father.  He conquered death so that we all might know hope.  Easter is a reminder to all of us that we cannot- that we MUST NOT- stop singing.  We must sing when it's dark.  We must sing when it's raining.  We must sing when this world is kicking our butts.  When the creator of the universe loves us, how can we do anything else? 

I lift my eyes, the clouds grow thin, I see the blue above it
And day by day the pathway clears, since first I learned to love it
The peace of God restores my soul, a fountain ever springing
All things are mine and I am loved...How can I keep from singing?

Because of Jesus,