The Music of Life

Whenever I attend the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit, there are things that grab me. For those who've never been, it's two intense days that feature more than a dozen speakers and tons of great information.

At some point, it becomes information overload. So I try to latch on to a couple of nuggets to think about for days. I'm the kind of person that needs to marinate in ideas for a bit to really come up with what I think. I liken it to getting blasted by a fire hose during a hot summer day then looking for a shady spot so you can stay wet and see how it makes you feel.

One of the interesting discussions at this year's conference was around the power of music. On Friday, the second day of the conference, Bill Hybels went through an exercise about the healing power of music. It was a time to think about music and it's impact on our lives and our thinking.

One of the songs played during that segment was "It Is Well." It didn't take long for me to get into what Bill was saying, especially when that song played. I've always believed that certain songs that make a mark and recall memories. I know that's been true for me.

When I was in middle school, I was part of our church choir. It was really because I cared about our music minister, John Hubbard, and his wife, Donna, who was our Sunday School Teacher. It was a great time of learning and bonding, which was probably more impactful than the singing part. One of his favorite hymns was "It Is Well." To this day, whenever I hear that song, I think of him, and the powerful story behind the hymn.

For those that don't know it — or don't read this blog regularly where I'm sure I've repeated this — "It Is Well" was born from a place of great sadness and loss. Horatio Spafford, the writer, had lost his business in a fire and decided to send his wife and children by boat ahead to England while he closed out their affairs. The ship ran into a storm and sunk. Spafford received a message from his wife that read "Saved alone." His children had perished.

It was in that place, at that time, that he wrote "It Is Well." The first verse and chorus goes:

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.

It is well (it is well),

with my soul (with my soul),

It is well, it is well with my soul.

That is a beautiful depiction of incredible faith in the midst of unimaginable loss. It was the story that made the song special to Mr. Hubbard, and it was the conveyance of that story — and his passion for the song — that has made it special to me all these years later.

Music, like the best of art, has an ability to meet us in our need and let God speak into that need, or inspire us to greater things. Bill shared some of the songs that have always pushed and inspired him, and I took some time to think about what songs inspired me.

One that I've loved is "Call My Name," by Third Day. It's a song about the power of Jesus' love, as so many of their best songs are. I love the chorus and the sentiment it shares:

When you feel like you're alone in your sadness

And it seems like no one in this whole world cares

And you want to get away from the madness

You just call my name and I'll be there

You just call my name and I'll be there

One of my all time favorite songs — perhaps my all time favorite song — is "In The End" by Linkin Park. It's a song that speaks to me spiritually. I hadn't heard it in a while but, randomly, New York's Hot 100 played it on Saturday afternoon as I drove home from the grocery store. It felt like a powerful reinforcement of all we've been talking and thinking about.

I've put my trust in you

Pushed as far as I can go

For all this

There’s only one thing you should know

I tried so hard

And got so far

But in the end

It doesn’t even matter

I had to fall

To lose it all

But in the end

It doesn’t even matter

When I heard the song, I couldn't help but sing until I was out of breath. Music has a powerful impact on us. It can pick us up when we're down, inspire us when we're lost, and comfort us when we're grieved. All we have to do is open ourselves up and listen.