If I Stand…

Cannon Beach is one of my favorite places.

But as beautiful as it is, and as refreshing as it is to visit, it’s not always sunny and warm with a light breeze.

Storms still come. Waves still crash into the rocks and wash driftwood and other artifacts up onto the beach.

The same beach. The same ocean.

There’s an old quote from Van Gogh along these lines:

The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore. (Vincent Van Gogh)

In the same way, life isn’t always the picture-perfect image we have might have in our heads. And if we’re really honest, it rarely–if ever–is.

As we learn more and more about the possibilities in Evanna’s life, her treatments, her prognosis…sometimes it feels like the stormy, tumultuous sea. There are many, many changes coming…but like Cannon Beach, it doesn’t change the beauty or the joy.

One of my favorite songs of all time also references the ocean AND a baby. It’s Rich Mullins’ If I Stand, which is incredibly rich in imagery (and among his songs, I think beautifully reflects his Native heritage the most). Here’s that part:

There’s more that dances on the prairies than the wind
And more that pulses in the ocean than the tide
There’s a love that’s fiercer than the love between friends
More gentle than a mother’s when her baby’s at her side

And there’s a loyalty that’s deeper than mere sentiments
And a music higher than the songs that I can sing
The stuff of earth competes with allegiance
I owe only to the Giver of all good things

And then there’s the chorus, which hits my heart like a sledgehammer every single time, and applies to the coming changes in our lives:

So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That You will pull me through
And if I can’t let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You

And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be
As a man who is longing for his home

Could you help?

Cannon Beach is one of my favorite places. But as beautiful as it is, and as refreshing as it is to visit, it’s not always sunny and warm with a light breeze. Storms still come. Waves still crash into the rocks and wash driftwood and other artifacts up onto the beach. The same beach. The…