Find Us Faithful

I'm really thankful for the saints that have gone before me, and the records of the struggles, relationships, faith, victories, defeats and grace of God that were a part of their lives.  I have always been drawn to biographies (whether movies or books), as there is something in me that is very stirred by "story."  I love asking people about their story, and I appreciate opportunities to share my own.

One of the most powerful things for me as I have grown in my relationship with Christ has been the honest accounts of God's people who have sinned greatly and struggled miserably, because their stories remind me that the shame I feel for the sin and struggles in my own life is a lie.  This has been particularly true for me in dealing with the glaring reality of mental illness, and the lack of awareness/education/understanding/etc. regarding mental illness within the Church.  Reading the stories of men and women who have been applauded throughout Church history as some of the most formative characters in the Church's story- men and women who dealt deeply with mental illness, depression, chemical dependency and even suicide- has offered immense encouragement to me in my own journey.  And reading about their profoundly intimate knowledge of God throughout- and even because of- their struggles, and His tender, loving, gracious dealings with them... it encourages me that God truly is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34) and His faithfulness can endure my unfaithfulness and sustain my weak faith...

Anyway, this is another one of those songs that I find the music to be cheesy, but the lyrics are amazing...

Find Us Faithful by John Mohr

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace 

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives 

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful 

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find