- photo by Tucky

Dear Dominant 7th,

Footprints in the Sand once told me its lesson with great force – His great love and faithfulness, my blindness and weakness. Through the years, it has lost its impact on me. I would recognize it immediately in its clichéd form, printed on a photograph of a set of footprints (or two) on the sand by the beach, and go, “Ah, THAT story, I know how it goes” then move on to other things, without giving it another thought.

Weeks of uninspiring rehearsals passed and I wondered if there’s any worth in singing this song at all? Surely you guys have heard, read and seen this, now even sung it more than a dozen times. Is there anything more, something to inspire an inspiring rendition, perhaps?

你说只要紧紧跟随你
你会陪我走到底
为何当我最忧伤低迷
你却选择远离

I saw myself staking a claim to a promise that He’s made, suggesting that I was faithful even in the tough times and implying that He did not keep His side of the bargain to walk with me. As I began to read between the lines, I saw a child, an ego-centric child, thinking like a child, talking like a child, having not the slightest idea what was actually happening. Beneath all the hurt, pain and disappointment lay self-righteousness, demanding that I be rightfully rewarded for what I had done.

“……
亲爱的宝贝我疼你
永不会将你撇弃
当你软弱
双脚无力
可知道狂风中
我怀抱着你 ”

How little I understood of His grace!
If He hadn’t chose me, called me, would I have followed Him?
If He hadn’t carried me, kept me, would I have continued on this path with Him?
Did I even have the capacity, the strength to do anything righteous out of my own accord?

It’s only when we come to grips with our total depravity that we begin to comprehend the depth of His love and open our eyes to His infinite glory.

May His love be our inspiration this Sunday, for us to carry each note with gratitude for His glory.

Love, Apple