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I had an idea for a song to write as a tribute to my father. It had the lines, “An old man with Christ in his eyes, can make me really high.” As I contemplated the beauty in those words, I was suddenly overcome with emotion as all kinds of beautiful thoughts started streaming into my mind as fast as I could write them down. It seemed that the Lord actually became too beautiful for words and yet I was writing like crazy because words were all I had to express what was happening. I realized at that moment that God has become Beauty to me. Mary Baker Eddy had seven synonyms for God and I have found it helpful at times to use her synonyms interchangeably with all of our words for God. Now I had my own word: BEAUTY! Here’s the full lyric to the song: A rose can make me sigh With a drop of dew in the corner of its eye Sometimes a sunset can make me laugh and cry Jesus paints a beautiful life A mother’s first look at her child Is like Jesus smiling through her eyes The first time a baby laughs it’s the voice of Jesus Christ Jesus paints a beautiful life The magic touch of the master’s brush Makes all things become new He can make a masterpiece Out of common clay like me and you An old man with Christ in his eyes Can make me really high He can almost take you to heaven when he dies Jesus paints a beautiful life When I sing this song, a feeling of deep awe settles over me. I know it’s because seeing the beauty of our Creator and Friend cannot help having that kind of impact on us. I have often reflected on the mental images I had of God before the theologians got a hold on me. I wrote an article for a national newsletter one time on children and spirituality and recounted some of those memories. I literally hypnotized myself to draw them out, going back to the places where they came to me. It was too lovely for words. The beauty of the Lord is a heart thing. Your heart has eyes, too. If your heart cannot look at what someone says about God and feel a sense of comfort, awe, joy and peace, it is probably something you should forget. Taylor Pie and I were taking a few days to write songs and at breakfast one morning she was telling about someone trying to force beliefs on her that she just could not accept. I said, “Just tell her you think a lot more of God than that.” She said, “Hey! That would make a good song.” We ended up writing a song by that title. The chorus goes: Glory, glory, it comes to me In every tender voice I hear Every smiling face I see Tomorrow may bring trouble But I never feel left flat I think a lot more of God than that My mother managed to convey a lot of the beauty of the Lord to me despite the theology in the church of my youth. I am so grateful to her. I remember one time when I was a pre-school child and a near-tornado hit our house. I began to cry and mother held me and talked to the Lord like he was right there with us. I think He was. I have never heard more peaceful and beautiful words although I cannot remember them. I know why I cannot remember them: I was completely lost in the feelings, not the words. There’s nothing wrong with being completely lost in the beauty of God. It is one of the most deeply healing feelings we can ever have in this life. For me, it is the most desirable spiritual experience.
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