Friday, March 4, 2011

I'll Fly Away...in concert..

OH. My. GOODNESS.

We went to a concert EVENT tonight.
It was incredible.
We left at 9:40 and they were not close to done.
But I was tired, and we just had to go!
I think most of the artists didn't know where they were. Most of them kept saying to the crowd, "Hey GEORGIA". and I thought, "you don't know where you are in Georgia, do you??"...

But, on another note, I couldn't stop thinking of my sweet friend Haley. Because David Crowder Band was there. And he was playing songs that I LOVE to worship to. That felt like I just sang in college YESTERDAY.  Like this one:  it makes me smile.  It reminds me of when I would worship so desperately after we found out about Briar.  But I knew the Lord was SO GOOD and loved us so much in the midst of this hurt.

 He just takes my breath away.  Even as I listen to this AGAIN tonight.  SO powerful.

 And then I think back to how many years ago that actually was (in college)...and I begin to feel as though I might be old. Well, older than I was. Wow. My throat is sore, as though I've been scratching it with a bristly brush all night. But the sore throat feels like nothing...in comparison to being among a HUGE body of believers. There were so many high schoolers there...again, something that made me feel a little old.  And then there is the coming home at 9:45 while the rest of our friends (and the group of high schoolers from our church) stayed much later.  I don't know why I bother to even mention any of that.

Because my favorite part of the night came next.

Something absolutely magical (in a very spiritual way) happened as David Crowder was finishing up. He was playing a song that was very upbeat as his last song. It was beautiful and fun. And then, all of a sudden...no warning..they tranistioned into "I'll Fly Away".  As we sent the balloons off at Briar's celebration, and as Briar was taken out of our hospital room...that song was playing...and it is SO special.  And as Brandon and I held each other tonight and sang this song...we both got teary...right in the middle of that dark, crowded coliseum...with probably a thousand or more people surrounding us...we just let it come.  Because it was such a sweet moment to be in.  We don't get many moments to feel as though we connect with our son.  We don't get to cuddle him to sleep or hold him every night.  But goodness, moments like that are SPECIAL.  They weren't SAD tears, you see.  Because that song talks about how when we die, we will fly away to be with our Savior.  So that tears were joyous tears.  Tears that know what our future holds.  And that is time with our son.  And to know that his little life was so precious.

We know how precious that time on earth is...and we will cherish our moments.
But let's be real.
Our time here is just a WHISPER.
Just a VAPOR of eternity.

Tomorrow I'll share with you what happened RIGHT AFTER that song...

Because it, too, changed my life.







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5 comments:

  1. Both of those songs have special places in my heart too. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Brookie! I just got teary- eyed when I realized you were talking about me! You are such a sweet, wonderful friend! I do love that song, and still feel like I'm living it everyday. Life just seems to get more and more counter-intuitive as the promise that He is sovereign and that He loves me seems to dim the despondency of my circumstances.

    The other day I read in 1 Peter:
    "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come SO THAT your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
    It was the first time I've been able to honestly and JOYFULLY say, "Lord please don't take {it} from me until you are finished refining me through this! It is a bittersweet gift from you and my faith desperately needs it!" I would never know Him like I do now if I was not in the season that I am in right now. When life is easy, the need to cling to Him seems so faint.
    I'm beginning to learn that waiting in the wilderness really is a beautiful thing.

    So I will keep praying for you guys as you wait through this process right now, that you would be able to thrive in the waiting as you get to know your Savior more and more each day! I am and SO thankful for you! I love you and miss you SO much!

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  3. Glad you guys had a good time! I had wanted to go to that concert, then TOTALLY forgot about it. Such a bummer.

    What a special moment for you and Brandon when they sang Briar's song!

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  4. What an amazing moment for you to hear that song. Definitely orchestrated by God!

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