Sing a New Song

 

Bedtime has long been a cherished shared moment for Asher and me. A few favorite books, a quick prayer and lullaby, and then a very snug tuck-in have become a stable routine to end his night. Particularly with COVID grounding any out-of-town travel or late night business events, it's been exceedingly rare when we skip this bedtime routine.

Lately I've enjoyed a new wrinkle to our Asher-and-me time, which is that we conclude by me singing him a worship song as he closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep. It started with Asher asking me, after I'd toggled between the same two or three songs over and over again, to sing him something new. It occurred to me that I had a whole host of song options that I could choose from, so I should branch out and sing them.

What a precious moment this final bedtime routine step has become. Many good worship songs are literally Bible verses, word for word and set to music. I am literally singing God's word to Asher, even as I imagine that God is speaking these words into his (and my) life. 

With his many special needs, parenting Asher is no walk in the park. And the world he navigates through is a complex and scary one. I am not blind to these cold realities. But singing my way through my favorite worship songs, lifting God's name up in song and lifting my son up in prayerful son in the process, that gives me an assurance I cannot find through flesh and blood. What a wonderful way to end the day!