“Again at a 10”
Have you ever had a song you loved to sing repeatedly? Maybe you drove around in the car and belted out the words to the top of your lungs, or maybe you remember hiding out in your room as a teenager and turning up the music so you could sing along. Then one day a friend overhears you singing “your song” and politely informs you that you are singing the wrong lyrics. Maybe you and your friend have a good laugh at the fake lyrics you’ve been singing, but somewhere in the back of your mind, your version of the lyrics just makes more sense and feels more……real. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to sing the correct lyrics.
Recently, I was riding in the car with my niece. She loves to sing. She especially loves to hold my phone while I’m driving and pick the songs we listen to from my playlists. (I suppose it’s a good thing she doesn’t know anything about the days when we just had to listen to whatever came on the radio.) Anytime we begin the process of getting in the car to go somewhere, she immediately begins to clamor, “Can I pick the song? I wanna pick the song.” Because her big sister and big brother are learning and singing a lot of the most popular worship songs at summer camp and in chapel at school, she’s learning these songs, too.
One of her favorites right now is a song called "Gratitude” sung by Brandon Lake. I must confess, my heart melts to hear her singing about throwing up her hands in praise to God. The chorus of the song proclaims:
“And I throw up my hands and praise you again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah, hallelujah
And I know it’s not much, but I’ve nothin’ else fit for a King,
Except for a heart singin’, Hallelujah, hallelujah…”
A few weeks ago we were riding in the car and she played this song over and over again. Because she’s only four, she doesn’t always get the words right. On this particular day, I was listening closely to her and just as the chorus began, she opened her mouth and sang with all her might the following words,
“And I ‘frow’ up my hands and praise you again at a ten….”
At first, I didn’t say anything, but when the song ended, I carefully stated the correct lyrics for her by saying, “that part I the middle says, praise you AGAIN and AGAIN.” I made sure to emphasize the use of the word “again” twice. To which she quickly responded, “I wanna sing it my way.” Well, ok! That works, too. (I’ve learned more than once, nothing good comes from arguing with a four-year-old. Also, I don’t usually correct the way my nieces and nephews say things. I rather enjoy their childlike pronunciations.)
As we continued to drive, I pondered her made up lyrics. She was singing it in the way she thought she heard it sung, much like we all do when we first hear a song. And, for her, those were the lyrics etched in her mind – “And ‘I frow’ up my hands and praise you again at a ten…”. Somehow, I think she might be on to something. What if we offered our praise to God “at a 10” – a level 10? What if we didn’t just praise him once and move on, but again and again “at a 10”. No more half-hearted praise. No more praise at a level 5 or 7, but over and over, again and again at a 10! What if we didn’t let anything hinder our praise or cause us to tamp down our praise? Which leads me to what might be the most important question --- What’s stopping me from selflessly and whole-heartedly offering my praise to God “again at a 10”? Maybe that’s a question we might all ponder.
Surely, there are times when we are better at offering our praise than others, but is there a time that God is more praiseworthy than others? I’m gonna go with “no” on that one. What’s hindering us from giving God all our praise---again at a 10? Certainly, something to ponder.
And maybe singing the wrong lyrics isn’t such a bad idea after all.
Songwriters: Benjamin William Hastings / Michael Brandon Lake / Dante Bowe
Gratitude lyrics © Bethel Music Publishing, Shout! Music Publishing Australia, Bethel Worship Publishing, Maverick City Publishing, Maverick City Publishing Worldwide, Brandon Lake Music