Loved By You

The next entry for my Blog is Loved By You, which was written by Paul T. Duncan, Jeffrey Thomas Pardo, and Riley Clemmons.  It was first released May 19, 2023.  A link to Riley Clemmons singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Sometimes I feel like I’m alone
A bit too broken, unseen, unknown
Sometimes the doubt starts creeping in
So come remind me once again

I am believed in, I am held on to
Don’t have to wonder who I belong to
I’m always wanted, always known
And always treasured, it’s true
I am loved by you

Hmm, it’s in your blood, it’s in your scars
How far you’d go to reach my heart
You call me chosen, you call me yours
And that’s all that matters forevermore

I am believed in, I am held on to
Don’t have to wonder who I belong to
I’m always wanted, always known
And always treasured, it’s true
I am loved by you

Loved by you
Ooh, yeah

I don’t deserve it, I never could
But you’re just that faithful, you’re just that good
How lovely it is to be loved by you
I don’t deserve it, I never could
But you’re just that faithful, you’re just that good
How lovely it is to be loved by you, yeah!

I am believed in (I am believed in), I am held on to (held on to)
Don’t have to wonder (I don’t have to) who I belong to (who I belong to)
I’m always wanted, always known
And always treasured, it’s true (it’s true, it’s true)
I am loved by you

I am loved by you
I am loved, loved by you, oh, yeah
I am loved by you

Do you ever feel as if you are completely alone and almost as if you have been abandoned?   Sometimes we probably all get the feeling that we are really alone in this world and no one really cares about us.  Maybe we ask ourselves the question, if I died tomorrow, how long would it be before anyone even knew I was gone?  Once this doubt gets into our head, we really start wondering about our life and whether or not anyone cares about us.  Maybe this feeling is triggered by a bad day a work, an accident, an argument with someone you love, or maybe a broken relationship.  The more we think about it, the more insecure we become.  We start thinking that perhaps we truly are all alone and always will be.  Have you been there before or perhaps even feel this way as you start to listen to this song?

The chorus of this song reminds us that we are never alone and that we are loved more than we can even imagine.  In the book of Matthew 28:20, we find this promise from Jesus, And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”  The chorus of the song reinforces the fact that no matter how we feel about ourselves and others around us, we are always loved.  I think the real issue is that although Jesus is always with us, once we have accepted him as God’s son, we seem to forget about him and his omnipresence.  Once we stop and take the time to open our hearts again, we feel his love and compassion.  We are then reminded that he is always there and that he has never deserted us nor will he ever desert us.  I suppose the real question is, why do we seem to forget about Jesus; especially in the most challenging times in our lives?  Think about what he did for us; see the scars on his hands and feet from the nails, see the scars on his back from the beating, the scars on his head from the crown of thorns, and remember how he was put into a tomb.  What is even more amazing is that he came back from the dead, to provide even more proof that he is eternal and is the son of God.  If he did all of this just for each of us, why do we forget him in our daily lives?  As the song says, we are always wanted, treasured, and loved by him.

Do we really deserve the love and promises of Jesus, I don’t think so; in fact, I know there is no way we could repay Jesus for his sacrifice for us.  The really good news is that all he asks of us is to accept him for who he is, the sacrificial lamb that died on the cross for each of us so we could spend eternity with him.  How many times have we turned our backs on him through our actions and words?  Although we are unfaithful to him, he is always faithful to us; no matter what we have said or done in our lives.  We don’t deserve his love, but he gives it to us anyway.  Jesus loves us with an unfailing and eternal love.  He will always be there to pick us up and dust us off when we fall.  He is there with us in our deepest darkest moments.  We are his greatest treasure; we are his children.  We are told in the book of 1 John 3:1-2, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

The greatest treasures we will ever have are the love of Jesus and being able to spend eternity with him.  Always remember that he is your number one fan, the one who is always with you, and never leaves your side.

 Select to Hear Riley Clemmons Sing Loved By You

Tell Your Heart to Beat Again

The next entry for my Blog is Tell Your Heart to Beat Again, which was written by Bernie Herms, Matthew West, and Randy Phillips.  The song was initially released January 8, 2016.  A link to Danny Gokey performing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Tell Your Heart to Beat Again

You’re shattered
Like you’ve never been before
The life you knew
In a thousand pieces on the floor
And words fall short in times like these
When this world drives you to your knees
You think you’re never gonna get back
To the you that used to be

Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday’s a closing door
You don’t live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you’ve been
And tell your heart to beat again

Beginning
Just let that word wash over you
It’s alright now
Love’s healing hands have pulled you through
So get back up, take step one
Leave the darkness, feel the sun
‘Cause your story’s far from over
And your journey’s just begun

Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday’s a closing door
You don’t live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you’ve been
And tell your heart to beat again

Let every heartbreak
And every scar
Be a picture that reminds you
Who has carried you this far
‘Cause love sees farther than you ever could
In this moment heaven’s working
Everything for your good

Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday’s a closing door
You don’t live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you’ve been
And tell your heart to beat again
Your heart to beat again
Beat again

Oh, so tell your heart to beat again

This is a song about the loss of a loved one and suggestions on how to somewhat recover from that loss.  Note that I do not even pretend to know how each of you are impacted by a significant loss such as this, I am just sharing my views.  The singer of this song actually lost his wife at an early age and this is his story.  Just imagine losing the one person in your life who you loved the most and who felt the same about you.  Many of you have perhaps had to live through this situation already.  As this happens, the world around you just shatters and comes crashing down in small pieces.  There are no words that bring comfort and no embrace that can fill your empty and broken heart.  At this point in time, you probably can’t even imagine making it through today, much less tomorrow.  The whole weight of the world has suddenly fallen upon your shoulders as you crumble to your knees.  One of the biggest challenges for us, is how do we rise out of the deep dark pit of loss and our intense feeling of loneliness?  Our emotions are out of control and our desire to live seems to be fading away.  We may have many friends who love us, but even their tears and their embraces bring us little hope.

Psalm 121:1-2 can provide us hope in these times of anguish.  “I lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”  I realize there is a period of grief we must all go through as we experience our loss, but there also comes a turning point as we start to open our eyes to life once again.  The chorus of the song is delivered with such power and with a strong message of encouragement and direction.  At some point, we need to realize that we must rise from our knees and take that first step into our changed future.  We have to almost tell our lungs to breathe and our hearts to beat again; and we have to look to the light that only God can provide.  He is there to give us strength and comfort and to take our hand as we begin our new journey.  This strength may be felt through our prayers, our family, and our friends.  I know that God listens to our prayers and I also believe that he brings the right people into our lives at the right time.  The sooner we put God in control, the sooner we can start our new future.  We will always have the past with us as a heartfelt memory, but we must go forward and not let the past dictate our future.  The hardest part is taking that first step into your new future and driving your heart to beat again.  In the book of Isaiah 41:13, we are told that God will help us when we are ready to move forward, “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

As we start our lives over, it is like a new beginning.  We are starting over and starting to find our way out of the darkness.  God has been with us every step of the journey through our darkness and loneliness, and he gives us his love as he prepares us for that first step.  He is there to lead us, to guide us, and to love us.  As we take our first steps into our new future; we start to leave the darkness and feel the bright sunlight shining on our face.  It is a time of building a new future and beginning the next chapter in our lives.  We have to learn to deal with the conversations around our loss, how we handle dinner invitations when we are now alone for the first time, how we go to events, and how we completely restructure our lives.  Perhaps Matthew 6:34 gives us some of the best guidance regarding one day at a time, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  It is not only a new beginning for us, but also for those around us.  It may be the first time we have paid attention to just how many people care about us and how they have been there supporting us during our deepest darkest hours. 

Our heartbreak will never go away, but it doesn’t mean we can’t go on living.  Our loss has taught us lessons about cherishing every moment of every day; take nothing for granted.  Yes, we will have the scars of our loss forever, but we have also learned to keep walking forward no matter what life throws at us.  Every moment of our past means even more and every memory is more precious than we could have ever imagined.  We must look to the future and the path that God lays before us.  We can have hope once again as God opens the new doors of our future and helps us close the doors of the past.  We will never be alone, God tells us this in Matthew 28:20; “and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

Maybe, as others hear about the scars on our heart and soul, we may be able to help them find their way and continue their story. 

Click to Hear Danny Gokey Sing Tell My Heart to Beat Again