Hello friends and family. How’s it going? It’s been a while since I last spoke to all of you. Don’t think I’ve been ignoring you or abandoning my blog. All I needed was some time to reflect, which includes about what to share with you.
The first Saturday of this month was a special day for me. I got my best friend to go with me to church, and she enjoyed it. I don’t know for sure if the church is something she’d be interested in being a part of, but she seemed impressed. She thought my church family was nice and they thought the same about her. This was a major accomplishment for me, because it was the first time I had a friend come to the church. Many people I’ve talked briefly about my faith with don’t know what a Seventh-Day Adventist is. If you’re curious, I’d be happy to talk more about my faith in a blog post. Why should it be a mystery?
That day was also Communion Day, which we have once every three months. Aside from eating bread and wine(grape juice), on that day we wash one another’s feet, just as Jesus did for his 12 disciples during the last supper. Just think, the Son of God was willing to do something that might seem below or degrading to some people. He washed the dirty feet of all of his disciples, including one who he knew was going to betray him and one who would would deny knowing him three times. If that isn’t an act of love I don’t know what is. That is why I have no problem washing the feet of my fellow church members, no matter what condition their feet may be in. As we wash one another’s feet there is praying and hymns are sung.
Speaking of singing, it was my turn to sing for special music that Sabbath. I never know what to sing when it’s my turn. I know I haven’t, but sometimes it feels like I have sung every song in the hymnal. At first I was going to sing Open the Eyes of My Heart, but under the suggestion of my mother, I instead chose to sing “It Is Well With My Soul” by Horatio Spafford”. I truly believe music is one of God’s many gifts to us. One not to be taken for granted.
At first when I got up there before my congregation, my heart was pounding, as it always does before I do special music. My church family doesn’t know this, but I always get butterflies before I sing. Before I go up to sing, it helps if I say a short prayer asking God to touch my voice. Just as He always does, He touched me that day as well.
As I sang, my objective wasn’t to show off. I wanted only to touch someone that day. Apparently I unintentionally made a few people cry, including my father. To me, the lyrics of It Is Well With My Soul are so powerful. I believe the one message of the song is that even in the roughest of times, when you have every reason to give up, that your soul is doing well, as the first stanza says,
“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain)
It is well with my soul,
it is well, it is well with my soul.”
As I listened to my church family echo me and sing along on the refrain of the hymn, I felt something. I felt a togetherness that I’m always desiring to see in all of them. I imagined what trials each of them must be going through throughout the week, and how they’re still able to say “It is well with my soul”. Also, I always choose to sing acapella, so that day was a golden opportunity to hear how beautiful my church family sounds without the piano. I felt so blessed that when I finished the entire hymn, I motioned to the church to sing the refrain with me again and drag it out slowly. If by some miracle I do make it into God’s Kingdom, I hope to see my church family there as well, so we can sing more songs together in the Heavenly choirs.
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