I remember Kenny Chesney had a song some years back called "I Go Back". One line says, Every time I hear that song, I go back. For him, he says 'that song' is "Only the Good Die Young" because of a friend of his that passed away at a young age.I think everyone has that one song. For me it is "More than a Feeling" by Boston. Oh, the memories that come back when I hear it. I go back to when I was still a little girl, listening as my Papa played all kinds of music.
He would sometimes put that song on repeat. Over time, I came to love it as well. It reminds me of how much he loved music and how good at it he was-a love he has passed on to Sarah and I.
My Papa was imperfect. He struggled with alcoholism and emotional issues. I can't say that my childhood was easy because of these things. Yet I remember despite his many shortcomings, is how much love he had for me and my sisters. I know that he loved us dearly.
I often remember the way he would laugh, or how his fingers would glide over a guitar with ease. I remember his amazing vocal range. I remember his love for nature. I remember when he worshiped God, his eyes would fill with passion and humility.
I was so young, but I remember.
I remember the bad, as vividly as I remember the good. Imperfect as he was, the good reminds me that he was made in the image of God. Imperfect as we all are, and no matter how badly we screw up, He still loves us.
If there is anything I have learned from these circumstances, it is of God's love. Despite the hardships our family faced, God has seen us through it. He eventually led us out of the fire, and into a better place; and for this, I am grateful. And, if and when more fires occur, I know he'll see us through those as well.
God never promised that this life would ever be easy. He never promised that bad things would never happen, but He promised to stay with us.
I am reminded by Romans 8:28, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
And later on in this chapter, the Apostle Paul writes, "...in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (37-39)
If there is one thing we can remember, is that if we have given our hearts to God, He will walk with us. That is a comfort that can never be measured in words.
