March Me Onward!

So I jumped the spiritual gun yesterday and turned on Christmas songs while I was running errands.  One of my favorites is Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee, and when it came on, I accelerated a bit and sang along (I was alone in the car, so no small children or animals were harmed by the off-pitch clamor).

But when final stanza came, the part that declares, Ever singing march we onward, victors in the midst of strife! I burst out laughing. If someone were to put a caption under a video of my year, I'm pretty sure that would not be it.  (Every swearing, maybe...)  Lately, I feel more like a golf ball waiting to be whacked over the fairway than a holy majorette leading a victory parade.

As I giggled, I started to wonder: what would it look like if it were true?

Could I be a victor in the midst of a Target checkout line?  Do I have what it takes to be ever singing & marching onward on a night like last Sunday, when I made two pizzas for dinner and one of them came out raw & the other burned and then I was up until well after midnight trying to get my work done?

I don't know if I can, but I'd like to.  I want this to be my new caption.

So starting today, my goal is to be ever singing, marching onward, a victor in the midst of strife! (Complete with exclamation mark!)  We'll see how that goes.  I suspect there will be challenges.  But when I hit a bump in the road (or the road rises up and clocks me), I'll remember the thousands and thousands of people who have drawn strength from knowing that presumed victory in in the midst of strife is one of the benefits of faith in Jesus. We may lose some battles, but He wins the war.

As I was searching for a great example of this hymn to share, I came across this treat from the universally acknowledged film of divine inspiration, Sister Act Two.  Watch here as Lauryn Hill and Whoopi Goldberg put some groove in their onward marching.  And imagine how, when I got to the part where they do the mini-tribute to Janet Jackson ("ooo...what have you done for Him lately?"), I teared up, reminded again of how God uses every one of our interests and passions, fitting pieces together in ways we don't even see coming.