One thing about the daily
rush is that it zaps a person’s strength. Sometimes our hurrying is a helpful
push in the sprint. But many of the folks I know are running endurance races,
and, if in there’s a chance to think about running the race at all, it is a
wish to try and cross the finish line alive.
That’s what the apostle Paul
said in the second letter to Timothy, answering his prayer mid-race from the
Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Having (I imagine frequently!) gasped, “…if I
may only finish the race…”, at some point Paul’s fear melts away, in his case
at the end of his life, and he ends with words of assurance, “I have fought the
good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (Acts, 20:20; 2
Tim. 4:6-8)
Sometimes, we need to not
think about why we’re rushing, we just need something to help us keep keepin’
on. Lots of music does just this, and I encourage you to sing what keeps your
strength for the endurance race and buoys your spirit up from the stormy seas.
The spiritual “Guide My
Feet” is one of the songs that pulls my spirit up from the drowning. Like a lot
of this endurance music, the pace is easily changeable so that as one’s energy
increases, the song may speed up as we reenter the sprint. A great example of
this kind of restoration is in this video from the First Presbyterian Church of
Brooklyn Choir:
Like other spirituals,
“Guide My Feet” kept a people alive and going though slavery, Jim Crow, and the
Civil Rights Movement. Thanks to Civil Rights Movement, the song jumped the
musical red line and has made a difference in the lives of all kinds of people
who seek the necessary endurance and reassurance to keep going.
New music is being written
that does the same work. I favor ones I can sing acapella, so they’re pretty
simple. When I’m weary and struggling to breathe, I don’t want something
complicated that draws even more energy from me. That’s one of the reasons I
often find myself singing the Reverend Mary Grigolia’s “Safe Passage”, which
she recently listed as a song of the month, (http://www.marygrigolia.com/Songs_of_the_Month.html
). One of the ways we help each other in this journey is sharing good music,
and supporting the people who brought that help and hope to us.
If you find you’re in the
endurance race, keep breathing. Pick up the song, and let it pace you. Gather
that strength the song brings and let it carry you forward. There is rest for
the weary and unexpected strength offered in these familiar paces.
