Redeeming a Song

Being married to a worship pastor, I am used to hearing music blasting from the upstairs room where my husband works.  On my day off this week I was in the kitchen cleaning up and listening to an unfamiliar tune floating down the steps.  The music was slow and sad, beautiful enough to stir my soul.  But then I heard the lyrics being sung:

If there are any words that I don't want to hear coming from my husband's lips, it's these.  Thankfully, he was not rehearsing a way to end our marriage...whew!  Instead  he was chording a song that is being sung at church this Sunday to illustrate a point in the sermon.  My first reaction was to resolve not to listen to him practice or perform it.  Being someone who struggles with insecurity, these are NOT the words I want ingrained in my head!  And then I started seeing faces of my friends who I know are having marital difficulties and would be sitting in the chairs listening.  These are not the words I want in their heads either! 

 



So there I was...stewing over this issue and trying to forget that I'd heard the stupid song.  But then the lyrics in my head changed.  God redeemed them with His truth to say:

Know that I'll never give up on you

I will keep trying to get to you

Anywhere, I will follow you

Know that I'll never give up on you.

 

Now those are words my soul yearns to hear my husband sing.  Those are words that give life.

 

I knew my husband was in a programming meeting at the time, so I emailed him an idea.  The sermon was on the idea of Oneness.  What if we paint a picture of what is broken (using the original song) and then after the message, redeem the chorus by singing words that would honor God and our relationships.  Leave the people with a better song to sing.  I ended up being accused of placing a bug in the office, because little did I know they were discussing the SAME IDEA at that moment! 

 

This song, Say Something by A Great Big World, has been #1 on iTunes charts.  We live in a society that is quick to give up on each other.  But 1 Corinthians 13:7 says that true love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  It doesn't give up. 

Jeremy and Laura did such an awesome job (oh - and the band too!), I just had to share. (If the video won't play from the blog, click here.)