"Jingle Bells - I'll Fly Away"

Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Almost every time the boys and I went to visit Ron when he was in the nursing home we were greeted by Keith. Keith must have been around 40 years old, but had the mind of a young child. He did not speak, but he did make noises that let you know he was glad to see you. He especially liked Matthew and Andrew because they were “close to his age” and Mama was one of his favorites because she resembled his sister.

To some people Keith would have been pitied. His circumstances were not what most people would measure as happy. He of course did not meet the definition of successful by business standards, he had little family and they were not able to come visit him very often. He was not a GQ dresser because he was overweight and mostly wore sweat suits. Perhaps he did not have the skills to manipulate buttons or zippers. His mental ability did not afford him the ability to read and his attention span did not allow him to spend a lot of time watching television. Yes, Keith was referred to by many people as a “poor, poor soul”. Why would God allow such a person to exist? What could be the reason? These were just a few of the questions I had to answer for young boys who were dealing with their other questions about their father’s health and I must admit questions I too had at first.

Then God revealed to all of us the joy in Keith’s soul. He could sing! His two favorite songs were Jingle Bells and I’ll Fly Away. It became our pleasure to visit and be greeted by Keith. The boys would start him singing as soon as they saw him. Keith would smile and clap his hands and sing with them. He loved to sing. We loved to watch him. He made us smile as he sang. Our visits to a nursing home were not so sad because they started with Keith’s warm smile, the twinkle in his eye when he saw us and the pleasure he had in singing his version of Jingle Bells – I’ll Fly Away. Yes, God made Keith for a reason. Keith had a joyful spirit, a spirit that gave other’s joy.

When you think about it, the blending of the two songs that Keith sang were his way to sharing the Gospel. Jingle Bells told of Christmas and reminded us of Christ’s birth and I’ll Fly Away reminds us that there is a reward to those who accept this Christ as their savior. What was God’s purpose for Keith’s life? It is the same as mine to reflect HIM in my life.

Dear Lord,
Give me the willingness of Keith to share you to others in my own unique way. To share the joy of your presence in my life and to reflect the reason we celebrate advent and Christmas.