“I Sing Over You”
Letters For My Children
“...He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will renew you in His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17
God sings over you (yes, YOU).
And this is what it’s like when He does.
Finding God In Unexpected Places
The entertainment value of Paw Patrol to the six and younger crowd can’t be overstated.
To them, it’s filled with utter cuteness, sweetness, bravery, and serious dra-ma!
We’re talkin’ stories of cartoon hero-dogs saving the day from the naughty cat-loving mayor.
(Uhhh… how about that time he wanted to steal that blimp to control the weather—and right before the big chili cook-off! Oh no he didn’t!).
It’s high-stakes stuff.
Add in their puppy accessories- firefighter jackets, hot pink helicopter goggles, up-to-date and color-coordinated vaccine tags–
It’s their Gossip Girl.
Thus, our household has been filled with these do-goodin’ pups. On any given day, we’ll hit up the Samsung for an episode or two, adorn The Paw Patrol Pull-Ups for our youngest, and spend at least an hour racing tiny costumed dog figurines down the Hot Wheels Super Slide (which is serenaded by a “Mommy, Watch This” at an every 30-second tempo).
We’re deep into The Paw Patrol.
If you have kids or grandkids around this age, you’re likely already attached to these crime-fighting pups. They’re sweet, wholesome, fashion-forward, and community-centric.
And I’ve discovered this summer, when it comes to feeling loved by God, “The Paw Patrol is on the roll.”
(*The stuff about you is coming! This part’s the groundwork.)
A part of the crew
In addition to the cartoon episodes and the row of toys at Target, Paw Patrol has two big movies.
Yes, we’ve seen them both.
In the theatre.
More than once.
More than twice.
In movie number one, there’s a new pup called Liberty.
She’s a good-hearted, hip-to-the-streets long-haired Dachshund. She’s also a huge fan of The Paw Patrol.
So much so, that she wants to be a member of the group– desperately.
After we spend much of the movie getting to know the earnest, always-ready-to-help Liberty, we root for her and want her to officially join the crew.
“Oh! She’d be an awesome member of the Paw Patrol. And she wants to be a part of the team so badly! If only they needed another member…sigh…”
Then…
As the end of the movie nears and the final mission approaches, Liberty finally gets her invite to join the Paw Patrol—
Plus, a super cool doggie motorcycle. (Sweet ride, Lib!)
This is an exciting moment— even for a non-six-year-old.
She’s thrilled!
Something she only dared dream of has become a reality.
And it’s a joy to see this lil pooch have her moment.
She is IN.
She’s an official member of The Paw Patrol.
Good for you, girl!
When this climactic rise in the story comes, she hops on her flashy new moped, the official Paw Patrol go-team announcer calls her name, and…
She gets her own song!
When my kids Madeleine (6), Beckett (2), and I watched Liberty join the team, we let out a collective
“Yay Liberty!!! Go girl!! Yay!!!”
Naturally, Mada and the Bear requested we add her walk-out song to our “Summer Playlist 2024.“
And this is where you and God come in…
He Rejoices over you with singing
The Summer Playlist has about 15 songs that we’ve connected with or like the sound of.
We play them when we’re in the car or doing the pre-bedtime musical performance with allllll the stuffed animals in the house.
Every time we play Liberty’s song, Mada, Beckett, and I sing. And dance. And laugh. It’s a party.
Her song is called “That’s My Girl.”
It’s filled with a repetitive chorus: “That’s my girl!…. that’s my giiiiiiirrrrrl!… thaaaat’s my girl!”
When we play the song together, I point to Madeleine and loudly sing the chorus:
“That’s my girl!!”
And I mean it.
Madeleine is MY GIRL!
My baby.
My precious daughter!
The first time we played the song together, I started pointing to her, and sang “That’s my girl!! Madeleine is MY GIRL!”
Her face went from skeptical- ”Uhm That’s not the song. Don’t mess up the song. The song is about Liberty the puppy…” to a melted expression of pride-
“That’s me!
Mommy’s singing about ME?!!
I’m the girl! I’m mommy’s girl!”
She recognized my total acceptance and pride in her.
She was radiant. She lit up from the inside out! Can this be literal? It sure looked literal.
Pink cheeks, glow on her face, twinkle in her eyes.
The delight, esteem, and confidence her little heart felt poured all over her face. This little girl was PROUD!
Her heart was bursting with light!
“Mommy is proud of me!
Mommy loves me!
Mommy is singing, and smiling, and pointing, and bringing attention to her love and celebration of me!
Mommy is singing with joy because of how much she loves me!”
In five seconds, her expression went from confused, denying, and bashful to overjoyed!
Her face was completely see through-
because her heart was so clear—
I am LOVED!!! I AM SO LOVED. I AM MOMMY’S GIRL!”
Gosh, that makes me feel good to write it!
And we can’t leave out my boy!!
Beckett the Bear— “That’s My Boy!!” He got his chance to be rejoiced over too.
For the second chorus Mada and I both pointed and sang over Beckett, alternating
“That’s my Bear!” and “That’s my Boy!!”
Both Mada and I were fullhearted as we sang loud our love for him. THAT’S OUR BOY!!
His first response was a flat-out “No!” which seconds later turned into him singing along “boy-we!" with eyes dazzling, dancing with abandon in his car seat.
Like Madeleine, he also became radiant. So PROUD of who he is and how much he is loved.
Laughing, “Again!” “Again!”
This little radio-edited song has become an anthem of my love and pride for my children.
You are God’s precious, Precious child
As the mother of these two babes…
Here’s what I’m experiencing as I sing over them:
I feel a proud possession.
I know I don’t own them. And I know they’ll grow up to be astronaut-artist-teachers and veterinarians who make their own choices and are independent human beings not to be possessed or owned by another person…
But—
I do feel a sense of deep pride—that they are MINE!
They are MY babies. That is MY GIRL and MY BOY and I’m singing my heart out because I’m so delighted by them!
I’m pleased that they exist!
Just their mere existence is a point of pleasure and abundant love for me.
My heart is full — and overflowing with love simply because they exist and they are my children!
That makes me want to sing over them: “That’s My GIrl! That’s My boy!!”
I also want to sing over them because of who they are.
That’s my girl, Madeleine (“line,” not “lyn”)— who loves to draw, who made me a breakfast plate of Hershey kisses and Starbusts in a smiley face yesterday, who draws for half an hour before bed every night.
This is my girl who saw me mowing the lawn then turned on my favorite TV show and set up a glass of water beside the cozy chair in the Den so I could rest when I came in.
That’s my girl who wears the mermaid pajamas and sometimes does a mix-a-match with Disney princesses and Halloween cats. She’s such a little fashionista.
That’s also my sassy girl who can spit vinegar and attitude at will.
And that’s my girl who is singing and laughing and loving this song!
And that’s my boy! Beckett.
That’s my boy who sends his toy “dinosaur car” down the racetrack ramp 200 times a day and who felt left out when I sang “That’s My Girl” to Mada.
That boy is my precious child– who I remember holding for the very first time (after the other first time in the delivery room). I held this boy in my tired arms, saw his eyes and he saw mine, and it was like we both said, “Oh wow… it’s you!”
That’s my boy! Oh wow, it’s you!
That’s also my boy who had “Time Out” yesterday for chasing our cat Indy with his push car and making him hide under the couch. “Too rough, Bearsie!” (poor kitty).
I want to sing over them to make them feel loved and cherished.
I want them to know- in their bones! without question! that they are passionately loved— as a whole.
There is nothing that holds my love back for them. I sing over them freely, boldly. I sing to pour out my never-ending fountain of love. My children are precious to me! I treasure them.
I want to sing over them so they know they are BELOVED!!
I want Madeleiene to know– You are MY GIRL!
I want Beckett to know- You are MY BOY!
They have a home in my heart, and I will always be a home for them.
No matter what happens. No matter how they age. When I get mad at them for being little jerks. My love will be a home for them. They can always, forever count on it.
It will not fade, it will not go away.
Your Turn!
Let God Rejoice Over You With Singing and Dancing
Keep in mind this story is an example of God (your parent) and how He feels about you (His precious child).
Yes! Please go ahead and make this about YOU and GOD.
That’s why I’m telling you.
I am Mada and Bear’s parent. And I want to sing over my children because I cherish them.
God is your parent. And He wants to sing over you because He cherishes you.
I want them to feel completely loved and lifted up.
(God wants you to feel completely loved and lifted up.)
I want them to dance and laugh and play in my lovesong to them.
(God wants you to dance and laugh and play in His lovesong for YOU.)
I want them to feel embraced! Proud of who they are!
I want them to feel proud of how much I love them.
(God wants you to feel this from Him too.)
I love my precious children to the absolute maximum. My love freely flows to them, about them, with them. There is no lack.
(That’s how God feels about YOU—only without the human restriction. It’s a humongous, infinite, without end, beyond measure love for you.)
This love is joyful! For them and for me.
I laugh and smile and dance when I’m singing this over them. I am full of happiness.
My heart overflows to have these three minutes of song to fully express my love and adoration for them—without holding back.
I get to sing, dance, wave my arms, and say
YOU ARE MY GIRL!!!
YOU ARE MY BOY!!
I LOVE YOU WITH EVERYTHING I HAVE!
THERE IS NOTHING LACKING IN ME.
(God delights in His love for you! It brings Him pleasure to love you fully— to give you all of His love.)
With all that free-flowing love, isn’t it curious that there’s still an instinct in both of them to shy away from my love or only take half of it. Even though they want it ALL.
But once they yield to it, say yes to their song, and let me sing over them, they change.
They become bold! Strong. Nourished.
Let their bravery encourage you! Choose bold, strong, nourished.
Say it:
“SING OVER ME!!!”
He sings over us because he loves us And He is our parent
This little show, with these cartoon dogs, has given me insight.
When I am freely, eagerly singing over my children…
wanting them to see me celebrate them…
wanting them to feel appreciated and loved completely—simply for existing and being my children…
it gives me a visual of God’s love for me and God’s love for you.
I’m not singin,’ “Holy, holy are my children who wear white linen and Easter hats and say and do the right things” either.
No. I’m singing over MY BABIES. While they are in their carseats, eating chicken nuggets, with sauce on their face, fighting over a Happy Meal toy.
These are not pristine, clean or dolled-up children.
But! When they’re song comes on…
I don’t see ANY of that. I don’t even think about it
I SEE MY GIRL and MY BOY.
And I want to sing over them with my love.
If I have that complete experience of love for my human children,
with my human heart— that gets mad at them when I’m tired, I’m distracted…or…uh they deserve it (little rascals),
know that this is just a glimmer of God’s love for you, His child.
Matthew 7:11
"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
Bring this to life in you
The Takeaway:
Your parent (God) sings over YOU!
You Are His pride and joy
Scripture:
“The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will renew you in His love; He will exult over you with loud singing”
Zephaniah 3:17
Such a wow verse. My gosh!
A Prayer:
“God!
Thank you for loving me! Thank you for being proud of me. Teach me how to hear you singing over me. I don’t want to miss it.
Show me how to bask in it and dance in it. Open my heart to unabashedly accept your love and parental pride for me.”
Amen
Action Step:
Visualize you and God in the story in place of my young children and myself.
God is singing over YOU with reckless abandon to this upbeat, fun, sassy song.
You are the small child, receiving it. Radiant.
Think about God singing over you in this way- in this joyful, wild, full on gleeful, loud, undone way.
Bonus: Listen to the song or find your own song that instantly helps you connect with God’s pride in you, His baby.
*I turned on the song and imagined God singing it over me like I sing it over my children.
Cried my guts out. It was a gorgeous moment for my soul.
Praying He works in you too.
THE SONG:
Here’s the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P51PYoiXRs
Here’s the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg_uoLx3GHw
That’s My Girl
Fifth Harmony
