One day you catch yourself singing while you wash a plate, and the sound almost surprises you.
For a moment, you were simply enjoying the music. Then comes that little interruption: How can I be happy when so much is still unresolved? The paperwork is unfinished. Somebody still owes the truth. There are things you have not figured out.
But, sister, you are allowed to enjoy a Saturday before every wrong has been made right. The Lord has not asked you to keep a sad face so everybody will remember how serious the harm was.
This gospel playlist is for letting some pleasure back into an ordinary day. Turn it on while you cook, get dressed, or head somewhere you want to go. There is room in your life for delight, even now.
1. “You Brought the Sunshine” — The Clark Sisters
Some songs change the feeling of a room from the first few notes. This is one of them.
Let it accompany a morning when you want the curtains open and a little more life in the house. You can enjoy the music without explaining the mood.
2. “Shackles (Praise You)” — Mary Mary
This one invites movement. After spending too much time worrying about how somebody will react to your presence, dancing in your own kitchen can feel wonderfully yours.
Move however feels good today. Nobody needs a performance. This little moment belongs to you.
3. “I Smile” — Kirk Franklin
Put this on when a smile is beginning to come naturally again. A Survivor owes nobody a cheerful face, but she is entitled to enjoy her own happiness when it arrives.
You can laugh hard at lunch and still deserve to be believed about what happened. Your happiness does not erase their responsibility.
4. “When I Rose This Morning” — The Mississippi Mass Choir
This recording brings the kind of church joy that can get the whole household moving. Before you know it, you might be singing into a wooden spoon like somebody asked you to lead the choir!
Let it celebrate something ordinary: another morning, a meal you like, a day with a little room in it. Sometimes a grateful heart begins with noticing something you are glad you lived to experience.
5. “The Best Is Yet to Come” — Donald Lawrence & the Tri-City Singers
Here is a song for making a little room for anticipation. Perhaps there is a trip you want to take or a birthday you would like to celebrate properly this year.
You can look forward to something without knowing how everything else will work out. Go ahead and have something on your calendar that you are happy to see coming.
Let the Song Finish
There will be other moments for the serious conversation. If joy has found you at the sink, you can stay there with it awhile. The plate will get washed, and perhaps the next song will be a good one, too.
You do not have to keep hurting visibly to prove that someone hurt you. Enjoy your song.