Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Encouraging Music - Week 1 (Long Way Home)

As I've talked about many times, I love music. It's so encouraging to me. If I can't sleep, I listen to music and it helps me relax. I have decided that every week, I am going to share a song that is encouraging to me! 


This week's song is called Long Way Home by Steven Curtis Chapman!


Steven Curtis Chapman's music is so encouraging and honest. He and his wive have three biological children (I think), and then they adopted three little girls from China. A few years ago, one of their little girls that they adopted passed away after accidentally being hit by a car by one of their other kids. She ran out behind their son's car and he didn't see her. I can't even imagine what they've gone through. Since the accident, Steven Curtis Chapman has written very honest songs about his faith and the grief of losing his precious daughter. I love the honesty and hope in the songs. 


Long Way Home is one of his newest songs. The song is led by a ukulele and has a "beach-like" sound. It's very simple and relaxing. Here are the words. 


"I set out on a great adventure,
The day my Father started leading me home,
He said there's gonna be mountains to climb,
And valleys we're gonna go through

But I had no way of knowing
Just how hard this journey could be
Cause the valleys are deeper
And the mountains are steeper
Than I ever would've dreamed


But I know we're gonna make it
And I know we're gonna get there soon
And I know sometimes it feels like
We're going the wrong way
It's just the long way home


I got some rocks on my shoes
Fears I wish I could lose
They make the mountains so hard to climb
And my heart gets so heavy with the weight of the world sometimes

There's a bag of regrets
My should've beens and not yets
I keep on dragging around
And I can hardly wait for the day I get to lay it all down

I know that day is coming
I know it's gonna be here soon
I won't turn back even if the whole world says I'm going the wrong way
Cause it's just the long way home

And when we can't take another step
The Father will pick us up and carry us in His arms
And even on the best days
He says to remember we're not home yet
So don't get too comfortable
Cause really all we are is just pilgrims passing through

Well I know we're gonna make it
And I know we're gonna get there soon
So I'll keep on singing and believing what all of my songs say


Cause our God has made a promise
And I know everything He says is true
And I know where ever we go
He will never ever leave us
Cause He's going to lead us home
Every single step of the long way home


Keep on, were gonna make it
I know we're gonna make it
We're just taking the long way home"



I'm thankful for people like Steven Curtis Chapman who are so honest in the songs they write. I hope this song encourages you too!

3 comments:

  1. Not heard of this one before, but woww what beautiful lyrics. Thanks for sharing :)

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  2. Hi Victoria,

    I just wanted to say that I came across your blog through Invisible Illness Week and the 30 things you may not know about my invisible illness link. After reading that post I wanted to read more of your blog. I have read just a few posts and the more I read the more I saw just how many similarities we have. I do not have Lyme but I do live with daily pain. I also love a lot of music and find great comfort from it (at the moment I particularly love MercyMe's album Almost There) A lot of the ways you have talked about your Lyme is the same way I feel with my pain and illness. I am not trying to say that I know exactly how you feel at all but I want you to know that today you have bought some comfort and encouragement to me. There are some ways we are complete opposites though - you seem to have an awful lot of doctors and treatments and medication. I bet you might feel as though I am lucky not to have that but it is still very hard - the last time I got to see a doctor was 2 and a bit years ago. They told me to take just normal over-the-counter painkillers (ibuprofen) and when that didn't help they told me to stop taking it and that if that didn't help my pain nothing would. I was also on Amitriptyline for a while which was bliss for my sleep but not so great in the day times. They were also hoping it might help my pain which it didn't, so after a while they stopped that too which was it. There is so much I can say - so many things I keep seeing that you have written and thinking 'yes that is exactly how it is!'

    Anyway if you are interested I have a blog too: http://on-my-way-just-passing-through.blogspot.co.uk/
    It is all based around the idea that I am on my way home to Heaven. I am not so great with the whole regular blogging thing but I am working on it :P. Don't feel any pressure to read it or whatever but just thought I would put it out there.

    I know that often I feel so alone and isolated sometimes even from my close friends and family because our lives are so different. I don't actually know anyone else that lives with daily pain and definitely no other young people so get very excited when I come across things like this.

    Anyway enough blabbering. Sorry to spam up your blog. If you want you are welcome to drop me an email (rainbow_suzy@hotmail.co.uk)but please feel no pressure to at all.

    Please know I will praying for you and your struggles.

    Hang in there, Heaven is near with no hospitals, doctors, fatigue, pain, and no Lyme :D

    Suzy

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