Have you "had it up to here" with all things connected with the Covid 19 pandemic?
Most of us would shout, "Yes!"
Collectively and individually, we need a lift. Something like a catchy song that gets us all singing along and tapping our feet to its rhythm would help. That's what Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer gave our Nation in 1944.
Exhausted Americans were scraping bottom. World War II had dragged on since the December 7, 1941, surprise bombing raid on U.S. Navy ships docked at Pearl Harbor.
All men between the ages of 21 and 45 already were registered for the draft, so thousands immediately were called to serve in the Armed Forces. With men off to war, women went to work in their place. Workers were needed now because the War Department issued continuing demands for heavy equipment and weapons of all kinds.
Nobody could--or would--predict when the War might end.
Needs of the Military came first
Civilians lived with rationing of everything from butter to meats to coffee to gasoline and tires. Homes in every block had small white flags in their front windows, each with stars. One star for each family member serving in the Armed Forces, red stars for the living, gold stars for the dead.
No Internet. No cell phones. No TV. Letters written by military personnel stationed overseas could take months to arrive.
Hearts were sad and desperation was setting in. Would this War never end?
That's when Arlen and Mercer came out with "Accentuate the Positive." This song caused Americans--wherever they were--to smile and remember that no matter how dark it looked they still retained the ability to seek out and focus on the light.
Call it a prescription for staying positive
Lyrics of the chorus give specific instructions:
- Accentuate the positive
- Eliminate the negative
- Latch on to the affirmative
- Spread joy up to the maximum
- Bring gloom down to the minimum
With its snappy rhythms and happy lyrics, this song quickly proved a great morale-booster. Radios and jukeboxes played it over and over. In no time, everyone from Granny to Junior to G.I. Joe was singing along.
The right words could do the same for us
A lot of us are weary to the bone of one thing or another. We worry about our kids and we worry about jobs and money and what will happen next. Right now we've added all our fears concerning Covid 19.
Each of us has our own list of what keeps us churning and tense.
Suppose we turned our attention to what's good in the people we love and live around and refused to give in to discouragement.
Suppose we tried a better strategy. Imagine if we look for times they show kindness, unselfishness, or other character traits we want to see more of--and then tell them that makes our heart glad.
Married or single, at any age, we set the tone for our lives. Always, we choose what we emphasize.
It's as the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8:
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worth of praise. NLT
(Do you think the songwriters took their cue from this verse?)
More truths to refill our tanks
Sometimes we may feel we have nothing left to give.
What helps most is to fill our minds with God's Truth, the Bible. Look for verses that seem just right for what's needed at the moment.
These three verses have been well-loved by Christians for centuries. Commit them to memory and you'll have them with you any time, anywhere
God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Psalm 46:1-2 NIV
By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me--a prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 41:42 NIV
I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8 NIV
If you wonder why I so often write about our thoughts, it's because this is one of my weaknesses. Getting "down" takes no effort at all.
Staying optimistic does.
Life has taught me to be watchful over my moods and to deliberately pick out what's good in my life, then thank God for it.
You might say I try to "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive."
Still learning,
Lenore
P.S. Here's a YouTube of Perry Como singing it--and sorry if ads show up:
