First Ones to Sing

My heart skipped a beat when I walked across the front lawn on the way to my 8:00 am class. I heard it! I slowed my steps just a little bit and lifted my eyes to the tree tops, hoping to get glimpse of the music-maker and smile at him to show my appreciation. It was the first morning that I heard the birds singing, bidding winter goodbye and welcoming the springtime.

It may be a funny thing to notice, but I assure you that I always hear the first spring time song. Well, you probably just didn't notice it before, you might say, but I beg to differ. Wintry mornings are cold and silent. Then, there is the morning of the first bird song. I can't help but notice. Something in warmer; something is brighter; something is different. I automatically recognize what makes the change - it is the birds singing.

"Today I heard the birds singing for the first time on my way to class!" I announce to anyone who asks how my day is going. I hope that other people will find the same joy and promise in the songs of the birds.

I love how the birds are the first ones to awake to the spring air. Even though the air may still have a hint of winter chill and the buds on the bushes have not begun to sprout, the birds know when spring comes.

In the same way, I long for my soul to awake to the spring and hope in the air that comes from the presence of God. Though we cannot see Him, His Spirit is moving like a spring breeze. We don't know where it comes from or where it is going, but it moves and brings refreshment and newness of life and heart. So it is with the Spirit. Just like they seem to know when spring comes, so I want to be alert and awake to the movement of God. And I want to sing.

Maybe for you it has been a long winter. Your fingers and nose may still be numb. There are no other sings of spring ever coming - except - the sun's rays hitting the treetops. And that is where the birds sing.

Maybe for you it has been a long time since you felt the sun on your face or the spring in the air. Maybe it has been a long time since you sang. As you wake up in the morning, listen for the birds singing their song of hope, promise, and joy.

In the meantime, listen to Songbird by Jillian Edwards. The lyrics follow:

I want to be a songbird
And I want to sit on the tallest branch
Of the tallest tree
And I want to sing lullabies
To Earth as she cries
I really want to try and make her laugh
I want to be a songbird

And I want to watch sunrise
With my love by my side
And I want to grow
And I want to learn 
I want to fire
And I want to burn
I want to rise
And I want to fall
I want to run
And I want to crawl

I want to be a songbird

And I just want to try 
To know how far and deep and wide
This love is that You give
Cause that's what it is to really live
To just try and look around
See You in our breaths
And hear You in our sounds
I want to be a songbird

Go through things that I need
Make me hurt, make me bleed
Cause I will arise and see the light
I'll pray my way through the night
And I want to be a songbird

And I want to sing lullabies
To Earth and she cries
I really want to try and make her laugh
How You made me laugh
You made me laugh
You made me laugh

Take the strings and the things
I use to tie me to the ground
Let them all be gone
I want to be a songbirdI want to be a songbird

As sure as spring follows winter, as sure as the sunshine warms the tree tops in the chilly morning, as sure as the birds sing, so sure is hope in its coming. It is time to wake up and sing.