Two weeks ago, I had a long week at work. Too much to do and not enough people to get it all done. Everyone worked extra hard, but it was difficult to keep up with the work load. I work in a production department with constant deadlines which brings a certain amount of stress. Sometimes that is good. Sometimes not.
Somewhere around Wednesday of that week, I was sitting at my desk, watching the clock out of the corner of my eye, and trying to make it to the end of the day. I was wondering when life would always just go on and on like this forever. Or if it could be different.
The words of a song, written by Christian singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman, came into my head… if you don’t know the tune, that’s ok… still good lyrics…
Today I watched in silence as people passed me by,
And I strained to see if there was something hidden in their eyes;
But they all looked at me as if to say
Life just goes on.
The old familiar story told in different ways,
Make the most of your own journey from the cradle to the grave;
Dream your dreams tomorrow because today
Life must go on.
But thereís more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And thereís more than this life alone can be.
Chapman wrote the words after the funeral of his wife’s uncle. Speaking in an interview about the origins of the song, Chapman said, “There were tears, of course. But I found myself wondering how many were tears of regret. Were they crying about things they wished they had done or said? In the car, on the way back from the funeral, I started writing ‘More to This Life.’”
I personally have struggled to make it through the day many times in my life.
There are days when I don’t want to get out of bed. There are days when I can’t wait to climb back in to bed and seek the comfort of sleep. There are days that simply go on and on with the same routine as the day before and the day before that. The cycle continues. The cycle repeats. Life goes on and on.
Tonight he lies in silence staring into space,
And looks for ways to make tomorrow better than today,
But in the morning light it looks the same;
Life just goes on.
He takes care of his family, he takes care of his work,
And every Sunday morning he takes his place at the church;
And somehow he still feels a need to search,
But life just goes on.
But thereís more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And thereís more than this life alone can be.
I will not dream my dreams in the waning of the evening light. I will not dream my dreams in the middle of the night. I will not seek my dreams tomorrow or on another day. I will dream my dreams today. I will dream in the light.
God will give me the dreams of my heart as I delight myself in Him. I step out into God’s grace through faith. I trust in the Lord and do good. I will dream my dreams today.
I live my life complete.
So where do we start to find every part
Of what makes this life complete;
If we turn our eyes to Jesus weíll find
Lifeís true beginning is there at the cross where He died.
He died to bring us . . .
CHORUS:
…more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And thereís more than this life alone can be.
[Post-note: I know that I wrote in meter, and a rhyming scheme now and then. Completely unintentional, I did not notice it when the words poured out on the paper. I see the rhythmic pattern now. I wish I could stop, oh, but how?]
Psalm 37
