A thousand roads to nowhere

Sometimes my kids surprise me ... not always in a good way, but this one was.  My daughter is working on a project for school to make a "soundtrack" telling about her life.  I expected some dorkiness and a lot of Japanese music (she LOVES it)  but what I did not expect was a song she wrote herself.  To add even further to the surprise it was deep and profound and I couldn't read the words without my eyes starting to well up.

Its called One Thousand Roads to Nowhere ... imagine in the background the sound of haunting Celtic pipe music ... here's the first bit ...

     As the pale moon is rising
     And the trail stretches on
     You find yourself asking
     "Will I ever see the sun?"
     And what will you do
     When the road splits in two?
     You have to choose a side
     For beyond this great divide...

     Are one thousand roads to nowhere
     None of them ring true
     In the dark abyss of despair
     You will tear your heart in two
     Tears falling down like rain
     The thunder rolls in pain
     On one thousand roads to nowhere
     Life sings its cold refrain

That had me worried.  She has gone through bouts of depression before  ....
the second verse is much the same ...
    
     The dusty paths seem unending
     But the crossroads are in sight
     The moon is descending
     And you think you see the light
     So you keep on pushing on
     Your hope is not yet gone
     But it's just another path
     For the fates will only laugh...

     On one thousand roads to nowhere
     None of them ring true
     In the dark abyss of despair
     You will tear your heart in two
     Tears falling down like rain
     The thunder rolls in pain
     On one thousand roads to nowhere
     Life sings its cold refrain

But she assured me ... "don't worry mom, its good." 

Here's the part that made me teary-eyed:

     You want to save your soul, 
     life, laughter, and love
     As you fall onto your knees,
     you scream to God above
     And He takes you by the hand
     Leads you to the Promised Land
     And the thousand roads to nowhere
     Are lost in time's black sand

     On the only road to Heaven
     The hardest path of all
     It's a steep slope to climb but
     He will never let you fall
     Mercy comin' down like rain
     Life sings its lost refrain
     On the only road to Heaven
     In the light you will remain

     On the only road to Heaven..
     In the light...you will...remain


Its hard to believe at 17 she has such a grasp on how the things of this world try and tear you down, how they "promise" happiness and satisfaction, but are just one more road to nowhere. 

And best of all, she understands that true happiness and contentment are from God, through  Jesus, and He is the only road to Heaven. 

God gave me you ....

You know the song ... God gave me you for the ups & downs .... for the days of doubt.  I hear it in the first 5 songs just about every time I turn on the radio.  Its a man singing to his wife - partner for life - and thanking God for her.

As a single you'd think I'd run screaming from the room every time it starts to play.  It would be hard to do when I'm in the car, but I could find a way to do it if I set my mind to it.  I don't have my "you", God has't given him, and a reminder of that (most often many times during the day) is not something I really want to hear. 

But what I find myself thinking about is the "you"s I do have in my life. 

While I may not have a husband, I do have 2 great kids.  Those "you"s keep me going on days when I might not want to even get out of bed.

I think of some of my dearest girlfriends - the ones I run to when I have a "grown up" problem, when everything God has taught me and brought me through in the last 10 years threathens to jump out the window.  When the evil twin that I once was rears her ugly head and tries to exert dominance over my actions.

I think of my church family.  I know if there is a need that is beyond me someone from church would be there to help out - from moving furniture to fixing my lawn mower.

I may not have the "you" described in the song, but I have many "you"s who do the same thing ... even out the ups & downs, carry me through the days of doubt.

And when I think I've lost my way, they are there to guide me back.

Who are the "you"s in your life?