She's learning different hymns at school this year, which I'm grateful for, and she overheard me talking on the phone to a friend about the various hymns that the kids are learning.
She yelled something from the top of the stairs. I couldn't understand her, and so I ignored her, and continued talking on the phone.
She persisted. And so I talked louder. (My poor children).
I finally hung up and pounded up the stairs only to find Lily sitting at the top with her arms folded.
"You keep calling them all HIMS. Some of those songs are HERS!"
Oh. Well, I'm a logical person and so I continued with what I thought was a logical explanation:
"Lily, I know it sounds like I'm saying HIMS, but I'm actually saying HYMNS. With a Y and N. It's different."
"Your spelling HIMS wrong."
"Lily, Hymns are Hymns....what you sing...not HIMS....like the boys."
I'd make a terrible lawyer. And she wasn't buying it at all. So, I settled and suggested that she tell me which hymns are HIMS and which are HERS.
And she did. She made a list of the girl ones and a list of the boy ones (I wonder if the HIM hymns were her least favorite). I'm still trying to figure out the distinction.
Over the next couple of weeks, I found myself singing different hymns (hers) with Lily. One of the hymns that came to mind is an old one that I remember my Grandparents singing. It's called In the Sweet By and By. The Chorus goes like this:
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
The hymn is about the beauty and wonder that we have to look forward to in heaven. Where we'll one day meet other believers in Christ. Where we'll one day be reunited with loved ones - on that beautiful shore.
While we listened to a version of this hymn in the car, Lily, after telling me that this particular hymn was a her, said to me: "I can't wait until heaven."
Man, the smile on my face was huge. And so we started talking about what heaven will be like. She's particularly excited about eating all the mac and cheese she wants. Jesus...mac and cheese...and flying - so much to look forward to.
On the way home later that evening, I was looking at the beautiful trees and their changing colors and was reminded of something important: as awesome as it is to look forward to our heavenly home, this is our home for now. And it's OK to be thankful for and embrace this home.
I suppose in some sense that conviction goes against what Christians often say about this life - that this is "not our home." But here's why I embrace with joy and confidence this life here on earth:
There is, without a doubt, great pain and suffering in life. But for those of us who are believers, we experience this pain in a way unlike the rest of the world. Each reality of brokenness, suffering, doubt and fear, brings us closer to Jesus. Yes, the pain makes me long for heaven, as it should, but as much as it makes me look up, the suffering has also made me look around.
I was recently watching home videos from when I was a child. Although I was "too cool for school" in most of the videos (or so says my younger sister; she's cool herself with phrases like that), there are plenty of memories captured of my sisters, my mom and dad, and the crazy life we lived ( I think my dad video taped our dogs, cats, and iguana way more than us kids).
I shed plenty of sad tears while watching the videos. I miss my dad and and am sad that my mom continues to deteriorate. I question why my sister, who was so vibrant and full of life, has had to face the hardship of cancer and other illnesses.
But when I look around, I can embrace the experience of friends and family being the hands and feet of Jesus through those who have cared for us in the past and continue to care for us today - sometimes in unfathomable ways. It's during trials that I see ever more clearly the grace and mercy of Jesus.
There is also, without a doubt, great joy on this earth. While these joyous times make me excited for eternity, I love embracing the raw happiness that this life often brings:
Like the time when lily told her teacher that she got some bongs last night (after getting her hair cut and getting bangs). And, she offered, my mom used to have bongs too.
I love that lily asks for Jesus Loves Me to be sung every single night before bed. I especially love that most nights my husband and I attempt to harmonize it - just to change things up. We've also attempted singing it ultra slow and super fast. Just because there's only so many times a person can sing Jesus loves me. But the harmonizing is my favorite. And then we laugh in the middle of the song because we sound horrendous. And yes, even after singing this song to Lily hundreds of times together, we laugh at our harmonizing. Ever single night. We need to get out more.
Hebrews 13:14 says, "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."
There is nothing in this world worth clinging to, because heaven awaits us in the end. And yet, the verses that follow instruct us on how to conduct ourselves here on this earth - offering praises to God, not neglecting to do good and share with others and obeying our leaders.
While heaven awaits us, our life here on earth is worthy of our embrace. Not our grip, but our embrace.
I hope to embrace the trials as I continue to find peace in God's sovereignty, but I also hope to embrace the joys in this life for all they are worth. Including arguments with Lily over hymns and hers.
https://soundcloud.com/pagecxvi/04-in-the-sweet-by-and-by
