Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Till there was you

I love The Music Man. It is in the top fie of my absolute favorite musicals of all time. The show is tied together with a heartwarming plot, lovable characters and list of songs that are stand-outs in their own right. It is the songs that often pop into my head. The tunes are easy to hum and the lyrics are flowing and poetic. The particular song that played in my mind this morning was "Till There Was You." 
For any reader that may not be familiar with this classic I encourage you to find a rendition of it on Youtube. Before you click play consider yourself warned: you will be unable to get the tune and lyrics out of your mind for the rest of the day. But don't worry, you won't want to. The words are so beautiful and the notes so peaceful that you will be pleased to be stuck with such a melody playing on repeat. 

As I walked outside on this brisk morning I began to sing (to myself, I'm not so crazy that I sing out loud as I walk!), "There were bells on the hill, but I never heard them ringing. No, I never heard them at all, till there was you… There were birds in the sky, but I never saw them winging. No, I never saw them at all, till there was you." At that last refrain of "till there was you" I suddenly realized the beauty of my surroundings and the glorious notes the birds were singing. I hadn't noticed them before.
I was ten minutes into my walk before my ears and eyes were opened to the marvel of creation that was bustling all around me. All winter long the birds haven't been out singing, they've been tucked away, huddling for warmth. 
But this morning that had all changed. The birds had ventured out, uniting their voices in song. 
I instantly became aware of how God alone gives us the ability to see. And I don't mean physically see. Sure, God does that too, but the sight I was mediating on this morning was that of the spiritual nature. Before Christ enters into our hearts we are unable to see. We don't see truth. We don't see grace and mercy. Our eyes don't take in the works of God and His marvelous ways. We are spiritually blind. 
But when we surrender our lives to Christ - that is truly surrender, holding nothing back - we are able to see the truth of God and all of His attributes. We are able to see His love at work in our lives. We see how He orchestrates circumstances and situations for our good. Sometimes His ways are beyond our understanding but even then we see that He is all-powerful and all-knowing. 
Until Christ becomes our Savior we don't see any of this. God is a mystery to us. His ways baffle us. And His truths eludes us. 
By coming to salvation in Jesus Christ and experiencing a new birth our eyes are given a whole new view. Till there is Jesus there is no way in which to receive this new sight or understanding. But, just like in the lyrics in that classic from The Music Man, with the entrance of that one special person, Jesus Christ, everything changes. 
The redeemed is graced with opens eyes and ears. It is as if bells that had tolled unheard are now bursting with glorious sound. Birds that were fluttering about unseen are now on full display in bold, brilliant color. 
Without the saving work of Jesus Christ all of the beauties of God remain unseen and unheard to you and I. It is through Christ that we are able to see our mighty God, how He works and all that He has created. He brings the reality of Himself into full view when we become His children through the saving work of His Son on the cross. 
The last verse of "Till There Was You" says, "There was love all around, but I never heard it singing. No, I never heard it at all, till there was you!"
Isn't that the truth for all of us? Love is all around us. God is all around us. He is alive, intimately involved in our lives and world. Yet we will never see Him or hear Him until we surrender to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Until we put our faith, hope and trust in Him we'll never hear the bells, see the birds or feel that love. But when we come to Jesus Christ our spiritual eyes will be opened so that the overwhelming and all consuming power and love of our Almighty Father will be revealed to us, giving our lives a whole new view and our ears a whole new melody. 
Till there was you, Jesus Christ, I never knew such marvelous Love! Yes, till there was YOU. 

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