Sometimes when life pushes us to the utmost edge, it becomes really difficult to feel the Lord’s presence. During the last six months, I experienced a situation where uncertainty was heavily palpable in the air. There were many things that kept me worried and I was constantly preoccupied with what the future might hold.
As 2021 was drawing to a close, I decided to make note of the miraculous blessings that the Lord had bestowed in my life. My mother’s sudden death was an overwhelming loss that naturally eclipsed all the goodness and joy that the Lord had brought my life. To be honest, I found it very difficult to thank the Lord but nevertheless, I decided to shift my focus to all the blessings that made my life special in its own way.
The activity of jotting down the things God had done in my life was a unique experience. First of all, I made a resolution that I would not move ahead into 2022 without a heart of gratitude. This helped me to realize that no matter what adversities have hit my life, the Lord’s enduring love has blessed me with extraordinary gifts that I can always be thankful for. For instance, I came up with a Tamil Christmas carol song titled “Varungal Tholuvzhom.” God helped me to write the lyrics in a rhyming pattern accompanied by a melodious tune. This was my very first attempt at music composition and truly it turned out to be a special endeavour. Much to my surprise, I wondered at how our Lord can bless the tiny efforts we take to glorify His name.
God exceeded my expectations, as the song was relished in equal fervour by both believers and non-believers who commented that there were able to feel the joy of Christmas while listening to the music. I was happy that this song was able to spread the happiness of Christ’s birth. For me, this was incredible.
Years ago, I was longing for an opportunity to sing my favourite old Christmas songs at church during the carol service but was never given the chance to do so. I was disappointed but my mother comforted me by saying “I know you had rehearsed hard with the hope of singing the song. Don’t worry that you have not been given a chance. Go and sing the song aloud in our prayer room. The Lord will be happy to listen to your song. He will use your talents for His glory at the right time.”
I did as my mother told me. It was such a joy to sing the song in my prayer room. I knew God alone was listening to it. In fact, I even prayed for a couple of minutes before I started singing, explaining to the Lord that this was the song that I wanted to sing in church but hadn't been able to. I was there in the prayer room with the Lord Almighty alone as the spectator! Never did I realize that within a span of 5 years, I would be composing my own Christmas song that would eventually turn out to be a blessing to many people!
Among the many other wonderful deeds God performed in 2021, the song stands as a testimony to His never-failing love that always promises to make us a better person for the glory of His name. I remember the prophetic words of my mother that made me believe that God would use my talents at the right time. I thank her for directing me to take a small step of faith by encouraging me to sing the song in my prayer room, nurturing the hope that the Lord Almighty Himself would listen to it.
I was in the midst of deep pain and sorrow when I was writing this song since it was going to be the first Christmas without my mother. I was emotionally broken. I couldn’t really celebrate the joy of the Christmas season without her presence but I had a strong desire to compose the song. I truly believed that the Holy Spirit was nudging me to do so.
While I had many doubts creeping into my mind as to how everything would fall into place, I could clearly witness how the Lord beautifully orchestrated the whole process by helping me out in every stage of the song creation. I’m not a very tech-savvy person so once after recording the song on my phone with my brother, I didn’t know how to make the video with the lyrics.
At that moment, God beautifully sent Jerlin, my brother’s friend who willingly came forward to help us with the video creation. She surprised us with her impeccable video editing skills. When I saw the final version of the song she sent me, my eyes were filled with tears of joy—it was more than I could have ever imagined or asked for! I profusely thanked God for sending her at the right moment. Undoubtedly, God was miraculously combining all our talents to present the song in its best format.
The brokenness of my life and the excruciating grief that I was going through at this moment couldn’t hinder God’s plan and purpose. The birth of this song is truly a complete journey in itself. I realized only our God can bring the best out of the worst circumstances. When we offer the broken pieces of our lives, He is always prepared and willing to bring out the better versions of ourselves.
As the New Year unfolds in front of me, I can already see God giving me lyrics and tunes for new songs. I realized that He hasn’t stopped with one Christmas song. This is the beginning of a new venture. I can clearly see that the joy of His everlasting presence in my life is waiting to be manifested in my future endeavours.
With a firm assurance that the Lord’s unfailing love will continue to guide me in this New Year, I am travelling into 2022 with a sense of excitement and hope for eternal surprises from my Lord. Indeed with His grace, every New Year in my life turns out to be a remarkable year!
Photo by Clint McKoy on Unsplash
Very nice
Thank you dear Ajas ????????❤
Beautiful -- I would like to hear the song!
Thank you Ted
This is the link of my Tamil Christmas song
https://youtu.be/tnhSeJiIdPg