Losing Sleep

Sometimes I have songs whirling around in my head. Usually it's an old country or rock song from my youth or at least a much earlier time in my life. There's always a message to embrace grief, celebrate victory, dispense comfort, or promote defiance. The playlist has varied as my life has changed. There was that entire year when my television set, mind, and soul seemed to have been invaded by a purple dinosaur singing annoying platitudes. But once he was finally exorcised, my brain went back to a more sane and varied playlist.

All day today, I kept hearing the old hymn, “Trust and Obey”. Oh course it is just the refrain over and over. I can’t remember the last time I sang this in church. It must have been about 25 years ago and since then I’ve moved away and been in very different church communities.

As I hear it, I’m transported back in memories of growing up in the little church just down the road, take a right and you can’t miss it. But it isn’t about the past.

It is the song for this day, for tomorrow, for many future days.

“Trust and obey…”

And as I struggle to do just that, I’m sure the song will continue in my head until I reach that point of surrender...”for there’s no other way.”