You Can Call Me Al

I was sitting in a bus riding across the tarmac of the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam.  The radio was playing and I could hear Paul Simon singing, "If you'll be my bodyguard, I can be your long lost pal.  I can call you Betty and Betty when you call me, you can call me Al."  My first inclination was to sing along and then I thought, many of the Dutch can barely speak English and yet, they are listening to American music.  Hmmmm.  As I continued to think about it, I remembered being in Cuba and hearing nothing but Motown music blasting at the hostel where we were staying.  Or being in South Africa and watching a couple dance in celebration of their anniversary to Lady in Red by Lionel Ritchie.  After letting my mind traverse borders and continents and the accompanying musical soundtrack playing in my head, I knew for sure that music is no respecter of person.  It is there for all to enjoy.

Music has the ability to transcend time, economics, race and nationality.  There is something about a string of notes, a thoughtful lyric and a catchy melody that makes your heart sing.  Music can lift you up, move your feet (even when rhythmically challenged), and inspire you to think outside of the box.  Music can shape the way you think and what you appreciate.  There isn't a culture on earth that doesn't appreciate music.

But let's face the truth.  Music can move our emotions, but it doesn't change our hearts.  For that to happen, it needs to be combined with the love of God.   As human beings, there is a part of us that longs to know our Creator and have an intimate relationship with Him.  When that desire and later experience is put to music, the heavens join in as we sing praises to our God.  The love of God knows no boundaries, limits, barriers or mindsets that it cannot pull down, rearrange and realign.  Music that celebrates our Lord, Savior and God can produce eternal changes in every aspect of our lives.  It then becomes the melodies of our hearts and of heaven.

We are living in a time where race relations are strained in many countries.  Hate is making itself evident in America, Europe, Africa and in countries around the world.  The only thing that can squash hate is the love of God.  His love changes us from the inside out.  It causes us to see ourselves and others in the light of His grace, forgiveness and holiness.  God's love never fails.  When we take His love and put it to music, true poetry is the result.

I don't know about you, but I could sing of His love forever.....