my good friend, accountability partner, support team lead extraordinaire, when-she’s-not-busy-as-a-law-student-she’s-teaching-pre-k-sunday-school, all around dear sister in Christ, sarah oh, is taking my bookshelf tomorrow evening, so i’ve been doing a bit o’ cleaning and a wee bit o’ packing.
tangent: even after having given a good chunk of my clothing lately, i still have more than i think. i really have little excuse to buy anymore clothes. it’s quite refreshing to know i don’t have a overwhelming amount of stuff to take back with me.
anyway, i’ve got the itunes party shuffle going and it comes upon this gem of a song. it’s justin mcroberts‘s “done living” (© Justin McRoberts 2008 Five Foot Six and a Half Music (ASCAP)) from his album deconstruction. he’s quite skilled in crafting songs, and this one he offered for free through ijm. his work already gets two thumbs up from me, but if i had a third, i’d put it up, too, for his generosity.
speaking of generosity, derek webb started this fair trade music website, which i’ve posted on the left-hand side of this page also.
so yeah, “done living” is not a terribly long song, but full nonetheless. i think the questions justin asks (can i refer to him on a first name basis even though i’ve never met the guy? is that presumptuous of me?) are the kind that many of us asked prior to exploring the world race or that compelled us to something like the world race (but really, is there anything quite like the world race as far as short-term missions is concerned?).
i’ve spent the past couple years railing against the american dream, which has deluded my generation into thinking that we’re invincible in our own right. my peers and i are surprised when sudden tragedies strike and our friends die young; we’re rudely awakened to the reality that our youth doesn’t immunize us against death. this song helps remind me that no matter our age, we’re susceptible to fatigue and illness, subject to suffering and weakness — but so what?
how will i, with my generation, confront that reality? am i gonna sleep in and just wait until Jesus returns? or will i rise from my slumber and stride, with each step doing His will here on earth as it is in heaven?
the bridge of the song reminds me that the world race isn’t gonna be easy. “well, duh,” you might say, and i may assent to this intellectually, but i’m lazy and proud, so my old, elitist self expects that i’m capable of excelling effortlessly on the world race. and of course, that too clouds the reality that i can only do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
before i ruin it anymore for y’all, go listen to the song on his website…
well, i spent the whole night fighting
fighting with some ghost
and when the break of morning found me
i’d both won and lost
you see the question isn’t are you going to suffer any more
but what will it have meant when you are through?
the question isn’t are you going to die, you’re going to die
but will you be done living when you do?yes, i spent the whole day running
trying to catch the sun
but when the darkness overtook me
all my running had made me strongso run ’til you cannot take a single step in strength
then crawl on your hands and knees, ’til your hands and knees they ache
and when you cannot crawl
it will be Me you call to carry you back home again
