The longer this COVID season drags on, the more people tell me that they feel tired. Tired of adapting, tired of the steady diet of fear served through the media, and tired of the impatience of others. They often go on to state that they are concerned that their character is shifting; that they have a reduced capacity to engage life; that they are afraid that they will say or do something out of their present condition that will have undesirable and long lasting consequence.
Snow in Summer
I’m not the man I want to be – I’ve got no chance ‘til eternity
15-over but always short – Easy to hurt but hard at war
It’s like snow in summer – Like snow in summer
When I was writing the song Snow in Summer, I had the message down and the melody written, but I was still looking for the chorus/hook. It was as frustrating to find the right words as it was to be a better man – to live out of a fullness of altruistic character — and then, at just the right moment, I looked out the window. It was snowing. In summer. The window scene matched my current mood perfectly. The imposition of an undesirable event in what should have been a more pleasant season: dissonance.
I hold her hand but make her cry – Can’t even remember the reason why
I build my bridges by diggin’ in – I start to give up but that’s where I begin
It’s like snow in summer – Like snow in summer
We all wrestle with our humanity. None of is where we want to be. If we ever come to believe that we have arrived at perfection, we should take note that this believe would be a good place to start restorative work. What are we to do with this dissonance; this gap between our desire to be better and the known reality of who we truly are? Simple acceptance of less leads to an underwhelming performance, and ceaseless striving exhausts as we hope for which continues to elude us.
Been here many times before – On my knees behind a closed door
I start to speak but don’t know what to pray – I’m hoping to find A better way
It’s like snow in summer – Like snow in summer
Grace is the only effective substance that I have found for this dissonance gap. It allows a safe space to own our deficiencies and to work toward wholeness with unforced rhythms. It allows us the opportunity to choose joy, speak life, and be grace to ourselves and to others. It’s as simple as breathing, but unlikely breathing, we have to consciously remember its there for us — so that we don’t take up the burden of dissonance again.
