The Land of the Free

I've been meaning to post this for the last 5 months or so. I think I've been putting it off because I know I even begin to adequately describe how much it speaks to my heart. This song has been pulverizing my heart for months....and I love that. It's convicting, but it's beautiful and joyous and full of hope. My hear swells when i listen to it. This is by Andrew Peterson, who, coincidentally, is the author of the prose in my previous post.

Little Alba, how’s the sun in south America?
Does it shine upon the faces of the poor?
Do they see in it the brilliance of the place that’s been prepared
and dwell upon the hope of what’s in store?
Or are they just like me, do they only see an opportunity to complain about the heat?

and little Alba, how’s the rain in South America?
Does it fall upon the roof tops of the sick?
Do they thank the lord for coming up with such a great idea
and dream about a place beyond all this?
Or are they just like us, do they gripe and fuss
about the rain and mud when they’ve had too much?

Cause I’m just a little jealous of the nothing that you have.
You’re unfettered by the wealth of the world that we pretend is going to last

Well I’m weary of the spoils of my ambition
and I’m shackled by the comfort of my couch.
I wish I had the courage to deny these of my self
and start to store my treasure in the clouds.
For this is not my home,
I do not belong where the antelope and the buffalo roam.

Cause I’m just a little jealous of the nothing that you have.
You’re unfettered by the wealth of
the world that we pretend that’s going to last.

They say God’s blessed us with plenty.
I say you’re blessed with poverty.
cause you never stop to wonder
whether earth is just a little better than the Land of the Free

So I hope you’re safe and dry in South America
cause I’m feeling pretty good in Tennessee.
May you never be so happy that you forget about your Home
your Home in the Land of the Free

Dang that thing gets me every time. It flips my world upside down. We think WE'RE the blessed ones because we have so much. but maybe the poor are the blessed ones because they only have Heaven to look forward to, and don't have their hands clenched so tightly around the things of Earth. And maybe the poor see blessings in things we take for granted, like the sun, the heat, the rain. and I'm definitely not someone who portrays the poor as superhero saints.

But the song re-focuses my eyes and makes me take stock of what I'm holding on to and how I see the world. It kicks me out of my own little world and again forces me to see this as a place where I'm just a vagabond. This isn't my Home and I have to stop living like it. I can't be content with pleasing myself and seeking comfort. I'm only here for a blink and I have got work to do while I'm here. I have to quit living like my life terminates on me. It's not about me. It never was. and i know that, but this song kicks my butt out of whatever self-centered world I'm living in. I lose sight of what true freedom is and I take it for granted. I'm not free because I live in America and can say whatever i want. THAT is not freedom. And I know I take true freedom for granted. I'm so content with this earthly freedom that I lose my focus from the true freedom we've been given.

I let the comfort of earth overwhelm my joy that can only be found in things eternal.

Sometimes I just need that reminder to not be so danged self-centered and human and get back to task. This life has nothing to do with me.

Maybe you never be so happy that you for get about your Home.....your home in the Land of the Free.