Turn Up The Music Part I

A couple of weeks ago, I went old school: I bought a music CD. I know, I know. Do they even sell those anymore? Yes, they most assuredly do sell CDs.

I bought Point of Grace's, How You Live. WalMart had several POG albums. I bought the most expensive one ($15). The Man Beast asked why I didn't buy the $8 CD. The $8 CD didn't have the two songs I wanted. (Yes, I paid $15 for two songs. I could have gone onto WalMart.com and bought both songs for $1.98. But, just like I'm a sucker for books - the old school variety, not ebooks, I am also a sucker for CDs. There just haven't been any CDs I really wanted until POG.)

Songs have always spoken to me. One of my favorite POG songs is 'How You Live' (I'll explain why tomorrow). But it wasn't until I attended a Women's Conference at my church last summer that I heard the song that really spoke to me: 'Heal the Wound'.

I used to wish that I could rewrite history
I used to dream that each mistake could be erased
Then I could just pretend
I never knew me back then

I used to pray that You would take this shame away
Hide all the evidence of who I've been
But it's the memory of
The place You brought me from
That keeps me on my knees
And even though I'm free

Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar

I have not lived a life that boasts of anything
I don't take pride in what I bring
But I'll build an altar with
The rubble that You've found me in
And every stone will sing
Of what You can redeem

Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar

Don't let me forget
Everything You've done for me
Don't let me forget
The beauty in the suffering

Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar

Heal the Wound, Point of Grace 2007

God willing, I will never go back to live in FL. As horrible as the experience was - and Lord knows I don't ever want to repeat it - Heal the Wound reminds me of God's grace. I will always have the scars of Florida - but I can learn from the mistakes I made and remember His grace and His mercy.

We all have past regrets. And I'm pretty sure that we all wish we could go back and tell our former selves a thing or two (or three or four!) about what we've learned or why what we're about to do is a very, very bad idea. But the truth is, despite all the mistakes we've made in the past, it shapes who we are now.

This past Sunday, I talked to my students in church about second chances. Everybody gets a second chance (God is pretty awesome that way). But not everyone takes their second chance. I'm glad The Man Beast and I took our second chance. And I pray that while my kids will make their mistakes, they won't make my mistakes.



Thanking God for his Grace, every day...