Singing or Screeching

I work every Sunday, so therefore I don't have a chance to get to church. I do miss it, but I know that right now, I have to work on Sundays. It is fine with me.

Now, since I do work on Sunday, I have a chance to listen to some of the local services on the Christian radio station. There have been some churches in the past that have been outstanding and I end up listening to the messages at home. And there are some that I have turned off because they weren't all that good. I really enjoy the variety in the messages and the churches. There was one in Delano TN, a small town church, the pastor was as country as can be. Excellent messages. Then he went off the air. I miss those services.

Anyway, over the past few weeks I have been listening to a local church worship, choir and message. They only get an hour, so sometimes I miss most of the message.

A few weeks ago, during the choir, I noticed something. The woman that was singing with the choir had a very nice voice, she sang wonderfully when she was singing solo. Wow, the voice that God gave her, she used it marvously. But when the choir started behind her, she sang so loud, to stand out from the choir, that her voice screeched. And I mean she screeched like something I never heard before.

I attended a church for a few years, I loved it there, but the Lord had other plans for me, so I ended up leaving. I miss the people there dearly, but I know there is a reason for me going somewhere else. Anyway, they have a wonderful worship team and they work together nicely. However, there is one woman, Melanie, that has this amazing voice. A voice that she uses to glorify God. She doesn't shout or screech to be noticed.She doesn't have to and she doesn't intentionally stand out from the rest to be noticed. She has a big voice and she has wonderful control over this big voice. To her, her worship is just that. It is worship to the Lord, it isn't worship for herself. Oh how I miss her voice. But I never once saw her draw the attention to herself when others were singing around her. She never tried to sing louder because she was getting the glory. She knows that the glory is the Lord's and no one elses.

I have a group of friends that have been singing for years. Each one has a very unique voice. Each woman has a talent that they have been blessed with. Now, I know that the youngest one has the loudest, strongest voice. She is so blessed. But when the choir is backing her up, she doesn't start screeching or straining her voice to be heard. She uses her voice to magnify the Lord. As do the rest of her sisters. They all know that they have been so very blessed with amazing talent, they use it for the Lord, because they know where it came from. I admire both of my examples.

But it really bothered me that this one woman, week after week, got up there, sang without the choir wonderfully, but strained, screeched and scratched her voice when the choir started just to be noticed.

Whatever happened to the day that we all sang together? Not to be noticed by anyone. But to glorify God with the voices that he gave us. I don't sing anymore because of someething that happened years ago. I will sing in the choir and I try to keep my big mouth toned down, but sometimes I get carried away. I don't do it for the attention, trust me, that is the last thing I want. I just do it because I know that my talent is from the Lord. See, He doesnt' need to shout, strain or screech, because He hears me no matter what.