Tunes to Croon

Daily Gratitude Year 4- Day 229: Today, I am grateful "it is better to carry a tune than a grudge."

I want to make this!  I saw it on Pinterest. I think it would be perfect near the piano... or in a music room if you have one. 

I love really this. It sounds so Disney...but it is full of wisdom. Someone once said that carrying around bitterness, anger and unforgiveness is giving someone "free rent in your head". I think it is true. Unforgiveness is one of the most self-destructive forces known to man.

Since Earworm is my constant companion, He might as well use the tunes he sings for good. There are songs that lift our spirits and can change our thought directions.  Poetry and music matter. They are not frivolous arts. They help us endure. Lyrics are poetry set to a tune. 

"Tomorrow" from Annie speaks hope. 
"Singing in the Rain" turns a rainy day into celebration.
"Shot through the heart, and you're to blame. You give love a bad name." Call it what it is. 
"Eye of the Tiger" from Rocky became a sports theme song for the power surge induces.
"Nine to Five" Bring it on Dolly Parton and we will get through the work day.
"Let it Go" is a fabulous Disney power tune. 
"I Will Survive" - Go Gloria Gaynor!
"Living on A Prayer" - Oh, Bon Jovi is always good for the soul. We're half-way there. 

There are so many tunes I love. I have created many mix CD's called "For the Soul" over the years. They are always songs that speak to the very depths of human emotion. They are songs that strengthen and heal. A few songs that seem to stay on the list: 

"Seasons of Love" is the timeless love ballad from Rent with a gospel feel. 
"10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord Oh My Soul)" is a current and longstanding favorite on my list.
"In Christ Alone" is another "survivor song". 
"We Live. We love. We forgive, and we never give up." is a Superchick tune I still find uplifting. 
"Hold Me Jesus" by Rich Mullens
"The Motions" by Matthew West 
"Words" by Hawk Nelson
"Rodeo" - by Garth Brooks (Yes... I'm a farm girl and that song speaks.)
"Lift Your Head Weary Sinner" - my current Crowder favorite.

No one promised this life would be easy. Other humans make it less lonely, but relationships have their challenges. I make mistakes...often. I miss the mark of "who I want to be" when dealing with the "where I am a right now". Power tunes help. They help forge the "work in progress". 

Yes. Forge. Because, do not always bend easily.

Define "forge":make or shape (a metal object) by heating it in a fire or furnace and beating or hammering it.

Sometimes I need heating and a "beating" to bend my stubborn will... to get my spirit to conform to His leading. He still has much work to do, but we are making progress. I love this verse. I grew up thinking of it as "the Popeye verse" as it says "I am what I am". 


But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. -1 Corinthians 15:10

Jesus prayed:"Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us." Not words to be prayed flippantly in careless repetition. They should be understood before spoken. If my forgiveness is directly related to how I forgive, carrying a grudge is never in anyone's best interest. 

So... we can leave our unforgiveness, resentments and hurts at the foot of the cross...and pick up a tune to carry us through the next chapter. 

What tune will you carry today?

Today, I am grateful "it is better to carry a tune than a grudge."