Because He Lives

Thank you to Eastridge church for sharing "Because He Lives" with Patty playing piano. In a former church, that gospel song was requested over and over. I had never understood the appeal when I was younger, but when many people are moved by a particular song, I started to realize that not every song or hymn had to be for me. The pastor and I decided finally to do it on Sunday morning.  We may have had to do an insert if it wasn't in the hymnal.

I'll never forget a young man in the congregation sharing of his best friend that week committing suicide. His friend was gay and his family had told him they never wanted to talk to or see him again. The young man from church shared he was so defeated feeling and almost depressed at his friend taking is own life, wishing he had done more. He said the message of the verse "and then one day...I'll fight life's final war with pain and as death gives way to victory..." Was just what he needed to hear. That though his friend had committed suicide, ultimately, God was in charge and he didn't need to guilt himself over what had happened. I was amazed at how the Holy Spirit had worked.

The summer after that, my husband Tom and I went to GA. My grandmother had a condition, very similar to Alzheimer's. Hardly responsive, she would sit in the living room while I played piano. I'll never forget, when I started playing "Because He lives" all of a sudden she SANG! Barely even coherent she sang out that refrain and smiled. My grandmother loved the Lord with all her heart. She would often call her church asking who she could pray for. Seeing her reduced to a state that seemed barely human was so difficult. I was so thankful that Tom, with tears in his own eyes, could see her spirit in that moment, and as a family, we could sing "I can face tomorrow just because He lives!"

Shortly after she went to be with the Lord. I'll never forget that moment we had together in my parents' living room, and how much a song I didn't use to understand, will always mean to me.

I listened with tears in my eyes just now to it again. Thank you to Patty for sharing it and Brian and Vince from Eastridge making it possible to share and experience it right now. It gives me hope for a hurting world and reminds me of the message of the gospel.

Brent Shaw