Vol. 22 No. 22 | June 8, 2020
I was listening to Sara Bereilles’s song, A Safe Place to Land, struck by how much the lyrics reflect the times in which we are living.
When pain is all that they offer You know the famine so well, but never met the feast Like a kiss from the lips of monster And home is the belly of the beast When holding your breath is safer than breathing When letting go is braver than keeping When innocent words turn to lies And you can't hide by closing your eyes The ocean is wild and over your head And the boat beneath you is sinking Don't need room for your bags Hope is all that you have So say the Lord's prayer twice, hold your babies tight Surely someone will reach out a hand And show you a safe place to land Oh, imagine yourself in a building Up in flames being told to stand still The window's wide open This leap is on faith You don't know who will catch you Maybe somebody will The ocean is wild and over your head And the boat beneath you is sinking Don't need room for your bags Hope is all that you have So say the Lord's prayer twice, hold your babies tight Surely someone will reach out a hand And show you a safe place to land Be the hand of a hopeful stranger A little scared but you're strong enough Be the light in the dark of this danger 'Til the sun comes up..
Imagine yourself in a Pandemic, being told to lock yourself inside.
Imagine yourself brutally pinned to the ground, begging for your last breath, being told to submit.
Imagine yourself in a military-dominated country, being told to abide.
We are going through life-altering events, unlike anything most of us have ever experienced: in our nation, our churches, our businesses, our families, and our minds.
Collectively, we are trying to find the courage to leap, hoping someone will catch us. And although the ocean is raging and it feels like we are sinking, we cannot become paralyzed by fear. Because now we know, staying silent or stagnant is no longer an option.
We must have the faith and courage to hold our babies tight, be the light, knowing in our hearts, God will provide…
A safe place to land.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours it the kingdom and the power And glory forever. Amen.
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2020 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved
[i] Songwriters: Lori McKenna / Sara Bareilles
A Safe Place to Land lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC (https://youtu.be/Ht2NCrlghS4)