Broadway In My Car

Growing up, I was surrounded by music.
My mother and her sisters sang all the time.
I remember the sweetness of their harmony.
I remember many of the songs they sang after a family meal.

Often, my mother turned off the car radio and just sang.
It lightened her heart.
It brought joy to her day.
It brought joy to my day as well.

I knew all of the old songs.
I learned the songs that they sung during World War II.
Many of the boys they knew were over there.
Some returned; some did not.

I never realized that so many of the love songs from that era spoke of separation.
Even old songs like, Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree, spoke about uncertainty as they waited.
Don’t sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me, till I come marching home.
As they sang, I saw a wistfulness in their eyes.

I knew then, even before I was old enough to really understand, that music had power.
Music can convey emotions through melody.
Music can bring you back to another time or place just by hearing the first note of a song.
I remember seeing it in my mother’s eyes and I have experienced it for myself.

When I had my own children, music filled our home.
I can honestly say that we had music on constantly.
I found out very early on that music calms and soothes.
Playing music softly in the background fosters a sense of peace.

I can still remember my children using the fireplace hearth as their stage.
There were certain renditions of Christmas songs which had their own choreographed routine.
I can still see them in Santa hats with bells in their hands.
I can hear the laughter and the giggles but most importantly, I can hear the music.

I tried to expose my children to all sorts of music.
They heard classical, rock, hymns, and show tunes.
There was no order of importance.
It was the exposure to all types of music that mattered.

They knew all the Broadway shows and could sing along to most of them.
They knew all the Disney songs since I would buy the soundtrack before the movie premiere.
They knew the Muppet songs, the Sesame Street songs, and Hide ‘Em In Your Heart songs.
The latter was an invaluable way to hide the Word of God in their hearts through song.

The other day I was driving and I felt like listening to show tunes.
I admit that I have a playlist of my favorites.
I put the playlist on shuffle and started to drive.
I played a game; I wanted to see if I could name the song in the first few notes.

I could name most of them.
I could say which show or movie the song was from and remembered all of the words.
I was enjoying my drive that day immensely.
It was Broadway in my car.

Funny Girl, West Side Story, Les Miserables, Sound of Music, and Phantom of the Opera.
I was singing along.
My drive was so incredibly pleasant.
Until I got to a little country road and was scared out of my wits.

I was listening to Think of Me from Phantom of the Opera.
I knew the story.
I remembered the rehearsal scene before Christine mesmerized all who heard her voice.
And then the bloodcurdling scream.

I had forgotten about the scream.
I had forgotten about how that scream scared one of my children.
I gripped the steering wheel in sheer terror.
I was listening to my playlist a bit louder than usual and the scream was magnified.

When my heart stopped beating and the adrenaline of the moment lessened, I heard her.
The crystal clear voice of Sarah Brightman as Christine.
The voice that caused everyone in the room to stop and take notice.
The voice that even the glimpse of the phantom could not spoil.

That voice.
I laughed when I realized that I had forgotten about that blood curdling scream.
I can see why my daughter had been scared all those years ago.
Life is like that sometimes; things creep up out of nowhere and make us afraid.

The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice…I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They, too, will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. (John 10:2-5,14-16)

Jesus is our good Shepherd.
We go about our days and sometimes things happen that make us afraid.
The world screams and catches us off guard.
Our heart beats wildly and we realize that we were meant for another place.

We were meant for a place without screams, without fears, without sadness, and without pain.
The voices of the world try desperately to drown out the one Voice that can quiet us.
The voices of the world are no match for the clear call of our Lord Jesus.
We hear His voice and we respond.

Jesus never stops thinking about us. (Psalm 139)
Jesus lives to intercede for us before the Father. (Hebrews 7:25)
Jesus calls us by name. (Isaiah 43:1)
Jesus loves us so much, He died for us. (Romans 5:8)

The screams of the world are no match for the loving voice of our Shepherd. (1 John 4:4)
He quiets us with His love. (Zephaniah 3:17)
He stills us. (Psalm 46:10)
He is preparing a place for us where there will be no more suffering or pain. (John 14:3)

We can sing.
We must sing.
No fear, is what Jesus says over and over to His disciples.
Listen for His clear voice; He is calling you.