Back in the 1970s, Bethany's choir performed a pop-rock oratorio entitled Lightshine. Composed by Buryl Red and Grace Hawthorne, the musical featured a song which has remained for years in the minds of those who sang it.
That song—"Would You"—posed some interesting questions, among them:
Would you cherish loving arms,
if you’d never shed a tear?
Would you welcome going home,
if you’d never been away?
Would you treasure guiding hands
if you’d never been alone?
Would you value having hope,
if you’d never known despair?
Would you treasure being safe,
if you’d never lost your way?
Would you cherish gentle words,
if you’d never been afraid?
We as individuals and a congregation—and as God's children—have all overcome myriad adverse circumstances. We wish life would just tick along nicely, with no difficult lessons to be learned and no grief or angst to be felt. Someone at Bethany remembers interrupting a friend as he began advising, "When life gives you lemons..." Her tart response was, "I'm tired of making lemonade!"
In his book "The Wounded Healer," Father Henri Nouwen says, "The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.” Our painful experiences can help mold us even more into the people God desires us to be ... people in a position to feed and comfort those who are poor in spirit.
As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, let's recall our blessings—and think of ways we can, in turn, be a blessing to others.
—Cathy Betts Sapunor
P.S. You can listen to the title song "Lightshine" here. It's a bit dated in style, but you'll no doubt find it as inspiring as Bethany's congregation did back in the late '70s. Enjoy!
