My wife, Lisa, was watching the nightly news and saw a feature story that highlighted children seeking adoption. One child said that he would like to find a home because he was tired of telling people that the other kids he lived with were only “my foster brother or my foster sister.” Having been in the foster care system practically all his life, he knew that any foster family’s relationship could end at any time. He wanted to be with a family, to feel as if he was a part of something. He was around people all the time, but he lonely—and he was tired of it. We want the same things this boy did. We want to be part of something. We want to be in relationship with people we know will be there for us. We want to be around people who love us.
Like the little boy, we don’t want to be lonely...
I am reminded of an old song…it is not in our hymnal, so we never sing it. It is often thought to be a Quaker song, but in fact it was penned by a Baptist minister. I believe it beautifully summarizes our relationship to obedience as Christians. It’s called “How Can I Keep from Singing” and if you just Google that phrase, you will that there are probably dozens or hundreds of versions of it. Here are the opening lyrics:
“My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth’s lamentation,
I hear the sweet, tho’ far-off hymn
That hails a new creation;
Thro’ all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul—
How can I keep from singing?”
Indeed, I believe that is what Jesus is saying. If you follow me, how can you keep from singing?...
(Resources listed here reference more than one reading and are normally shorter than the resources listed under the individual texts above. If you are looking to link the readings, check these resources.)
(Resources listed here reference more than one reading and are normally shorter than the resources listed under the individual texts above. If you are looking to link the readings, check these resources.)
