The Melody of Lent

 

I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems than all the golden visions of all our golden dreams.

I love to tell the story, I tell it now to you because I want to share it, because I know it's true.

I love to tell the story; and when I am in glory I'll tell the old, old story of Jesus' endless love.

This hymn is written by Kathrine Hankey, who was an English missionary and nurse.  Her father was a prosperous banker in London and was raised Anglican.  She was inspired by a Methodist rival and decided to assist her brother in his missionary work. Hankey had a serious illness while on a mission in Africa. During her long days of convalescence, she wrote on the life of Jesus in 1866 in two parts. The first part was a poem of fifty stanzas, titled "The Story Wanted" (dated January 29, 1866) and second part titled "The Story Told" (dated November 18, 1866).  It is second part that the words above are taken from.

But what I find fascinating is that she wrote this during an illness.  This makes me wonder what wisdom can be born out of this time of a pandemic and upheaval?  When you look back at the last year, what story would you tell?  What tone and tenor does it have?  If we are not careful, our minds are too controlled by cynicism – as if that is the highest form of critical thinking.  I sometimes wonder if part of my education has taught me only to deconstruct everything, point out the flaws and shortcomings as the way to show that I was “critically thinking”.  So, when it comes to examining and exploring my life, I do the same thing!  In my own story narration, I constantly point out my fumbles and stumbles. 

But what if, there is another way?  A way of curiosity?  A way that stays open to researching your life – after all you are a fascinating living, breathing being!  Try this, rather than saying, “Good Lord, why in the world did I say that?!?  I am such a bonehead.”  What if you re-phrase it, “Good and gracious God, the words that just fell from my mouth, I am not sure about.  Help me sort through the why of this.” 

See what that does?  I just heard someone say, we should all wear white lab coats as we research our own lives in the present tense.  Rather than jumping to conclusions and clinging to opinions, to stay open to what God is doing. 

I am inspired by Hankey, who could have wallowed and stared out the window while recovering.  Instead, she took a pen and paper and wrote a poem!  While you don’t have to write a poem, you could just write down your thoughts in a non-judgmental way.  You could write down the story that is on a loop in your mind right now, replaying in your life.  You could write a hymn or what God is up to in your life.  Or you could color a picture.  Or you could paint.  Let this hymn do more than stay stuck in your mind, let these words and how they were created sink and settle into your soul.