November 14, 2023

One of my favorite things to do is go for walks and put on music where I can tune out the world and focus on my steps as they connect with the path ahead of me. As I move, I begin to pay attention to what music I am listening to, find out what the meaning behind the song is, and how I connect to it.

I especially love listening to secular songs and how I can see God through them in new ways. 

One song that has been my favorite recently is “God is Really Real” by AJR. AJR is a band of brothers who use a combination of instruments and technology to make their music in ways that connect and discuss difficult topics that are not normally talked about in music. 

“God is Really Real” is a song they wrote about their father who recently passed away from deteriorating health and illness. They sing about how the world seems to go on around them while they are suffering and struggling with their dad’s illness. That is what their world entails right now, no matter what everyone else tells them to do and how to live. 

The world doesn’t stop when ours is crashing down around us. The world moves forward even when we feel we are left behind. 

How God comes into the song for them is how we don’t really think about God and our relationship and understanding of God until we are in moments of grief, anxiety, and doubt. God becomes real for people, especially in times of concern and sorrow because that’s when we desperately need God. 

God does appear in every moment in our lives. We talk about it in worship and our studies here, but when God becomes most present for many is sometimes in those moments of loss and hardship that we need those reminders most desperately. I learned to explore that in my own life and with strangers and friends in my work. 

Whenever I stop and listen to this song, it reminds me of empathy and the continued need to be gracious as I don’t know what people are experiencing and going through in those moments that are not being shared. There is more to the story than what we are told. 

We are entering into a time of festivity and gatherings in the next month and a half, but for some people, they do not find this time to be a reminder of life and celebration. This time of year may represent pain, loss, brokenness, and grief for many people who may not be comfortable sharing with others right now. 

God calls us to be gracious and loving to our neighbors and be present with them in whatever moments they are experiencing. Their world may be crashing around them and need to be still for the season while ours is moving forward and festive. Hold space and prayer for those who may be struggling in this time of celebration and holidays. I invite you to listen if they share and want to speak. 

Celebrate and be merry, and allow for sadness and grief if you need it. 

My door is always open for conversation and support if you want to talk. 

If you would like to listen to the song, you can find it here.

Vicar Jennie White