A gift and meaning of an anthem

As I put the final things together for the youth mass next weekend, today I was typing up lyrics and got wondering if I have anthem. A song that moves my heart in a beat, a song that lets me melt at the first note. As you know Im musical, I have played, listen, felt so many different melodies surely one or maybe two would have a deep impact, bring me to tears instantly, make me smile, bring that me back to my foundation to my ''source'…. 

Do people have your own anthems? We have a national anthem that holds so much importance, pride, ownership, belonging; among a lot of other words that could be associated to the word. Newly weds' always have 'Our Song' for their first dance. Young first lovers typically have a song that has a powerful first memory, be it where they meet, first kiss, first time set eyes on each other.

Everyone walks to a different beat - I have read this before; everyone has their own tune they play, my music music teacher use to say; yet do I feel like I have my own song that moves my heart!?!

What would it even mean if we have our own anthems …. I guess if you have your own anthem it would be a song that might be your go-to karaoke choice, or lyrically inspirational to carry you in moments of challenge and it would move to the same stride as your own steps. It would be a song that would make you slow down and stay in the moment. 

Would a place influence your anthem I wonder.  When I walk into the cathedral back in Palmy, it was hard not to marvel at the commitment of the architectural design, the symbolic meaning behind how everything is layered. The artistic gifts that unfold before your eyes in the stain glass letting my mind race, how could you not begin to trace the story lines that lay within them.

The hand wood craving connecting you instantly to someones love for you through their work, their story, their family which is yours too; the marble detailed work on the amazing man made altar that holds Christ in the heart of it who is just waiting for the invitation to move from there into our hearts. All the time and resources it must have taken to create this place that I would stand in or often kneeling at times in the empty pews, with such beauty ushered around me into stillness and conversation with the Lord. Surely this anthem would reflect some of this… 

The physical place maybe doesn't have as much importance, after all life is noisy!! Just come to my prep class for an hour, or even better, come to twilight sports which offers a few hours of shouting chants - which is rather good for the soul I will admit! 

Yet even among all this, surely the anthem would give assurances that in the noise of life, our soul is held securely in silence - silence that goes before and behind. Everything has noise, daily work rhythms, environment, emotions they also have silence between the happenings! This silence helps me find my place in the world, to see who I am, and make space for my soul to listen to God. I guess sometimes its easy to forget that even in the most joyful tones of life, the space between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves!! 

Maybe my anthem is shaped by the people I encounter. I sometimes feel that our Sunday morning routine here is starting to be etched upon my heart with the a wide brush of love, exemplified grace with every action. The morning is spent surrounded by love, people I meet, take two moments to smile, make sure they are well, recognize that peace which resided in the heart of all that know Christ intimately. Returning home to gather together just like Christ did so often for a meal, (and much need cuppa) with love that you can sense has a quiet strength that is covered with joy, like His, leads to actions, decisions. A raw truth shining through their lives revealing displays of powerful faith and solid trust in God alone. Making my anthem be one of a echo, that everywhere my eyes land I can see Lords fingerprint remaining; with faith comes not just from the hope and the belief of those who went before me, though their prayers are the foundations in which I stand upon; the active truth becomes the seed that settles and takes root in the soil of my heart. 

The anthem must change, Im certain of is, which is a delight too. I will be the first to admit at times I am afraid to slow down and stay; leading a life of suitcase in hand, I would always choose flight over fight, passport stamps over picket fences and a fresh start over familiarity. My pride too tall and fear too deep, my questions too complicated, my words too few… the hope that free-falling into my next spontaneous choice would reverse the gravity of my own reality. (save to say it sort of did yet only because I hit into the territory of Christ!!)

I have to admit that being rooted and established in Christ's love fills me with all the fullness of God (reminds me of Ephesians 3:17-19), extinguishing my need to run, after all, daily I feel Christ's own arms, spread open on the cross, placing me (us) within infinite mercy… why would you want to exchange passport stamps for this, why would you not want to stay and fight, even if its just with your inner self!  What measure of time even being to set a start or end point to this? How can the mind or heart ever grow weary from the familiarity of meeting Christ at the cross - receiving HIM - walking into His arms!

The challenging part of finding my anthem is the reminder that I am not in control. Just like music notes on a page, we ought to submit ourselves to receiving both the notes themselves (like joy) and the space between the notes (like loss) before God. 

Maybe I will rename him 'The Great Composer of our souls' moving us in and out of seasons, giving and taking away. Using both space and melody, He composes our lives into a symphony far more dynamic and beautiful than we ever could have written for ourselves. 

This is where I go blind, as possibly we can't always hear the music that is being written in me. Sometimes the people around me might be able to hear the song more easily than I; its then that I need loved ones to sing it for me and sing it to me. I do believe we all have an anthem, have a song that lightens the heart with a flame.

We have come back to the start, coming back to the question, what is my anthem?

I feel like I know the answer… 

Two songs that I have known for as long as I can remember; I recall them when I was a very little girl hearing them, moving my heart with so much might. I hear them in moments of celebration, moments of sorrow, moments of fear, moments of pure joy, love, comfort. I always know its the Lord calling me by name and in truth I treasure them more than any words in my mind could ever produce. 

 - Deep heart secret for you to keep - 

My anthem is "Here I am Lord" "The Rose" 

I hope that you know your anthem, if so then treasure it, make sure in those moments upon hearing it or singing it, let it sink to your heart, swallow up every bit of you in the moment and embrace the Lords love. Plus give thanks, oh how we need to give thanks for the gift of our anthems...

(A Rose from our garden - what a beautiful creation - Thanks Lord)