Here are the lyrics (bad theology and all):
Mommy told me something
a little kid should know.
It's all about the devil
and I've learned to hate him so.
She said he causes trouble
when you let him in the room.
He will never ever leave you
if your heart is filled with gloom.
So let the Sun Shine in
face it with a grin.
Smilers never lose
and frowners never win.
So let the sun shine in
face it with a grin
Open up your heart and let the sun shine in.
When you are unhappy,
the devil wears a grin
But oh, he starts to running
when the light comes pouring in
I know he'll be unhappy
'Cause I'll never wear a frown
Maybe if we keep on smiling
He'll get tired of hanging 'round.
If I forget to say my prayers
the devil wears a grin.
But he feels so awful awful
when he sees me on my knees
So if you're full of trouble
and you never seem to win,
Just open up your heart and let the sun shine in.
So let the sun shine in
face it with a grin.
Smilers never lose
and frowners never win.
So le the sun shine in
face it with a grin
Open up your heart and let the sun shine in.
I know ... the theology doesn't always make sense. But here was my realization as I laid awake unable to sleep last night.
I have been going back and forth as to how much we can really choose joy and if there are sometimes and some situations in which we really can't choose. But I'm landing on the side that says that we make deliberate choices on what to focus on, what to allow to permeate our thinking, how were respond to what comes our way. And when we let the enemy in the room and fill our hearts with gloom, and remain unhappy, and wear a frown, and forget to say our prayers.... we give the enemy a foothold.
And when we just let that sun shine in ... or we could spell it another way ... let the SON shine in, it's hard for darkness and light to be in the same place.
The picture above was taken yesterday morning just a day after this one. The sun was so bright that I could barely look at it and my phone camera couldn't capture it's intensity. It was behind the clouds the day before ... and the suddenly BOOM it's there bright and strong.
Maybe it's Bad Theology that the devil is omnipresent in our lives, but it certainly is truth that we can make conscious choices to recognize the sun when it's there and to open the doors of and windows of our dark places and let it in.
At least that's how I see it. And apparently Pebbles and Bam Bam Feel the same way!
