Yet another old post first published on my private blog on Wednesday, October 29, 2008, made new today because it is worthy of finding a home here. It’s about having had the pleasure of attending a Coldplay concert, and reflecting on some other related and not-so-related things! And of course, there’s an audio clip of the post for your listening pleasure!
And that got me thinking… aren’t those two human qualities universal: the feeling of pleasure in receiving something for nothing, i.e, getting an undeserved or unpaid-for favor, and secondly, the feeling of pleasure in being a winner.
Kind of like the gift of eternal life, you see. It’s free, and it’s actually there for the asking. For anybody. And there’s nothing you can do to get it on your own, even if you wanted to. You can’t buy it, and you certainly can’t earn it. But you must ask for it, that’s all. Oh, and here’s the other thing: it’s never forced upon you, albeit free; it’s something you’ve got to want to ask for– all on your own. Amazing concept, isn’t it? How could something so valuable be absolutely free? And besides, why is it being offered free in the first place? And that too, to me? What’s so special about me?
Well, that’s what’s called grace or unmerited favor. Grace that is borne out of love. An incomprehensible Love (with a capital L) that reaches out to offer me something that I don’t deserve. And makes me a winner!
Better than Coldplay tickets. I’m serious!
Reminds me of this lovely song by this other group called Casting Crowns. How ironic and awesome that it is my very insignificance that makes me eligible for such an honor! I am a flower quickly fading… check out the rest of the song for yourself, at:
And the full lyrics are as follows:
Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you’ve done.
Not because of what I’ve done,
But because of who you are.
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I’m calling,
Lord, you catch me when I’m falling,
And you’ve told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.
Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.
The pictures? Well, the one right here is Casting Crowns. The one on top is Coldplay.
