I listen to Country music. That's probably fairly obvious given my lifestyle. But I mostly like it because the lyrics usually tell some pretty in depth stories in just a few short verses and I LOVE a good story. Also because it is a "mainstream" genre where artists/writers are able to inject their stories with their beliefs without being rejected as "wacko" and without them being overly religious. I'm sure there is more to the process than what comes out on the radio, but as a general listener, I'm pretty impressed at how many songs with beliefs make it to radio.
Having said that, one of the songs that has been getting a lot of air play lately is Keith Urban's "Without You." Although not one of the aforementioned types of songs, it is a sweet love song. One of the lyrics of this song is "And people that I barely knew, they love me 'cause I'm part of you, Man it's tough to figure". This lyric has been resonating with me a lot in the last few weeks, thinking about how I've been so embraced into our new church home because the people there that I barely knew, knew or knew of my husband and just accepted me because of him. It's happened within my book club with girls, some I knew very well, some not so much, who have just clicked and bonded in a way I could have never dreamed. In a matter of a few months, we've become an additional support system for each other - one that feels like it's been there for a lifetime, not just a few months.
Tonight, it was personified for me - people who love me just because were there for me, so I could in turn be there for a friend.
It shouldn't be surprising that this lyric resonates, because at it's core, it is part of the gift Christ has given us with His sacrifice dying on the cross and His resurrection. I'm part of a larger family because of my belief in Christ. I shouldn't be surprised when someone I barely know does something out of love for me, because it is a reflection of Christ and his love for us. It seems very strange for me, as a girl who grew up in the church, to finally be "getting" this, but it has been resonating so deeply for me of late. I don't know if it because of my age, my life experiences, or just becoming more educated in the Word, but I'm so thankful for this insight. The understanding is allowing me to be more generous with my time and energy and also to be more accepting and thankful of other's gifts of time and energy.
The thing I needed to do tonight would have never happened if people I loved hadn't been there for me to take care of the things I needed cared for while I helped a friend, that they barely knew. My belief is that it all fell into place because God had his hand on the situation opening the doors that needed opened and filling us all with His love so that we could show His love.
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