The Passwords of Praise. A Note From Jan.

Read Psalm 89 in the Message this morning. As one who frequently forgets passwords, I did a double take when I read, ”Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise…” That’s one I never want to forget. No matter how tough the times, or foggy the mind, I pray I’ll remember

Two nights ago, I watched the CNN documentary, “I’ll Be Me,” on Glen Campbell’s battle with Alzheimer’s. I’d recorded it and finally got the courage sit down and take a look and listen. Sobbed. Very moving, informative and hopefully a strong call to increase funding for research into this frightening disease.

One of Mama’s sisters suffered from Alzheimer’s. So did Jud’s mother. Mama’s sister may have forgotten names and faces of her sisters and others, but you could start a hymn and she’d finish it. Jud’s mother, too. Seemed like they never lost the “passwords of praise” until the very end.

But I remind myself that learning precedes remembering.  Daily disciplines. Those matters of the heart that we don’t always set out to memorize but, somehow in the daily doing, they become part of us. So much so that they bypass conscious thought and from some place out of CAT scan’s sight lives a password. Somewhere out of a hacker’s reach sits that which is capable of  auto-praise.

I don’t understand how this works but I pray that with whatever time I have left, I will practice those disciplines that leave an indelible imprint on my heart. So even when it makes no sense, for no earthly reason, I’ll sing a song of gratitude to God. On a beautiful day like today, it’s easier to “praise God from whom all blessings flow.” Other days, when blessings seem to hide, I’ll not be deterred by what I see or feel but sing anyhow.  I’ve witnessed it in others and believe it to be true:  “Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise…”