NOW that you’ve retired mother, what do you plan to do?”Asked her children as she came back from work the last day at the office. “Join the church choir!” exclaimed the mother. “But you don’t know how to sing ma!” they all said in dismay.
“Ah my children but I have much to sing about! When your father passed on the Lord took over and I have a song to sing for the comfort He gave. When I was jobless and penniless He gave me the will to succeed and I want to praise Him! Oh children now that I have the time I want to sing for Him and what better time than Christmas!”
The choir conductor looked at her doubtfully, “I like your enthusiasm,” he said, “but here we need voices!” “Ah that I have my son, that I have! A voice that will glorify the Lord’s name; that will shout and bring the rafters down! That will rise above all others! And…” “And what?” asked the choir conductor worriedly.
“And its Christmas time! What better time than now to sing praises to the little babe in the manger about that first Christmas after my Ben died, no money for sweets, I cried to Him above, the bell rang and the neighbours walked in with the most delicious cakes. I remember…”
“Yes, yes,” said the choir conductor irritably, “But do you have a voice?” “A voice that will bring the roof down with praise and thanksgiving!” The choir conductor looked fearfully at the roof of the old church. “We will have to do a voice test!” he said and walked to the piano. “Now sing the scales with me will you!” She went home forlorn, her children no more little, looked at her and saw her sadness, “Ma,” they asked, “What happened?” “I don’t have a voice to sing!” “Of course you do!” “I failed the voice test!”
Her children, no more little, all settled in good professions because of her looked at each other and smiled, “Ma,” they said and strangely in unison, “Ma we’ll arrange a concert for you! Just family! You write your carols of praise to the God who stood by you, we’ll come with our families and hear you sing!”
That Christmas as the choir, conducted by their conductor sang in the old church, the people felt there was something missing, and at night as the conductor prayed, he asked, “What was missing today Heavenly Father?” “Ah!” said the Heavenly Father, “We were all down the road listening to the woman with the broken voice, I and all my angels!”
“But she has no voice!” “A voice rising from a faithful heart is worth more to me than that which comes from the throats of professional singers! Words rushing out in praise my son are like pearls to those composed by poets and lyricists!” Her children were surprised to see the conductor at their home the next morning, “Join the choir,” he whispered to her, “It’s voices like yours, that gladdens God’s heart..!”
