Something True

I was driving to work today, early—to beat the rush and get some work done. I always cut through a residential area to the Interstate. Today, as I sped through the path I take every day, I saw something out of the ordinary. It was 5 minutes to 6 a.m. and there in her “housedress” and slippers was an old lady watering her yard. I’m sure her plants needed water and it’s too hot for her to go outside at any other time right now, but getting up before 6 a.m. to water them and being happy about it—I’m not sure it’s something I could do. But here she was, completing this simple act of faith, not giving up and letting the heat lay claim to her plants.

Last night I was at choir rehearsal at church and was just sitting there as our choir director worked with the men on a difficult section of a song. I wasn’t really paying attention; I was so exhausted I was simply staring off into space, thinking about how wonderful it would be to be asleep in my comfy bed. And suddenly this voice broke into my thoughts. It was an older man in our choir, a bass, a wonderful man who has been serving God with all his heart for a long time. His voice was worn and probably not as strong as it once was. It had taken on that quality Johnny Cash’s had in his later years, the heartbreaking brokeness of the Man in Black’s voice best showcased in 2003’s “Hurt.” His voice was worn and tired; it was old and sometimes untrustworthy, but more than anything it was true. Last night, I heard the voice of a true man of God, a man who has served and worked and prayed and praised. He had lived; he had loved, and in his voice, I heard echoes of all these things.

It’s been a tough week. Peoples’ jobs are being deleted at work; I’m behind on every product I edit. And I’m tired—I go to bed tired and I wake up tired. I’m worried, about my grandmothers, my parents, my brother, my job, the decisions I’m making in my life. But last night, in the simple plaintiveness of that man’s voice, I was reminded that no matter what’s going on, I have a God who stands beside me through it all. More than that, I will praise Him through it all, even when there’s pain in the offering.