music | Blessed to be Broken

Day by Day

by Trish Cordell

Music. I’m so thankful for music. Without warning, songs make their way in my brain and just like that I’m wandering down a path of remembrance.

The song that popped into my head as I sat down to write was the title of the blog. Day by day. It was a song released in May of 1972. I can’t even tell you the last time I thought of this song. But, here it is.

I’m also thankful for Google. How cool that in this day and age we can type a few words in a search engine and have the information pop up at our fingertips? If you didn’t have to wait for the library to open, so you could rummage through the card catalog to find the information you needed; you’re blessed!

I needed Google so I could find the rest of the words that went with the parts of the song that I knew. They’re aren’t a lot of lyrics to this song. It’s a song from a Broadway play called Godspell. The lyrics are simple:

“Day by day
Day by day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day”

That’s it. For about 3.5 minutes those words are repeated over and over. Only the tempo of the music changes.

Simplicity is not given enough credit. Over thinking, over complicating, and over emphasizing seems more the flavor of the day.

How often have you heard someone say “I wish things were simpler”? Or, “Back in the day, things were so much easier”.

We forget that “back in the day” they also had their troubles. No doubt they too wished for simpler days. There isn’t a single generation that didn’t come with their own issues.

Things have progressed with each generation and we still aren’t happy. We’re still not filled. We’re still found wanting. We’re still looking for the thing that will make us rich, powerful, rich, famous, rich, and satisfied.

It’s no different than when I was growing up and thought all my blonde friends had what I needed or wanted. Or how I thought having the body style and size of someone else would magically make me feel more worthy and wanted. Or wanting to be just like somebody other than myself.

At what point do we ever say, enough? I have enough. I don’t need any more. I’m thankful for all I have. If you’ve gotten to that point, please let me know you’re secret.

When the Israelites were wandering around in the desert God provided their daily manna. If they took too much, it spoiled. They were instructed on how much to take for their day to day.

When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He said, “give us this day our DAILY bread”. (Emphasis added).

That didn’t stop them from wanting. Like I said, each generation had their issues. Question is, are we learning yet? Or are we repeating the past just in different ways? I’m gonna just leave that there for you to ponder on. You’re welcome!

Back to the song, and yes, I’m totally singing it as I type it. It’s how I roll.

“Day by day
Day by day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day”

Lord, let me see you more clearly. To know your heart.

Lord, let me love you more dearly. Because of who you are.

Lord, let me follow you more nearly. Because you’re the only example of what true love is.

Those 3 things are on a whole other level of wanting. It’s a running after the Father’s heart. Maybe, just maybe, if we did these 3 things daily, there’d finally be true peace on earth; good will toward men. And we could truly love one another as our Heavenly Father instructed us to do.

Peace to you my friends.

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Torn Between Two Lovers

by Trish Cordell

Now, if you know me, you know I love to sing. I once had a friend tell me that when I was going in for a CT scan, they would find a jukebox in my brain. HA!

Songs pop in and out of my head constantly. From the moment I wake up, till I go to sleep. Maybe you too? Today, I wanna talk about a song that was all about having your cake and eating it too and asking others to accept it.

“Torn Between Two Lovers” was a song recorded by Mary McGregor back in 1976. That’s right, I still remember the lyrics from a song from 1976. I would say this song would have been classified as a love song.

There’s just something about a good, sappy love song,right? But, this wasn’t really sappy, and I wouldn’t really classify it as a love song all these years later. It was more of a selfish, all about me and my wants song.

The song lyrics and melody played over and over in my head and sprung forth from my mouth, as I sang, oh so beautifully – ahem, from the sound stage that was my bedroom. I would totally ignoring the rude audience that were my brothers who would scream for me to shut up. Rude, right? La, la, la, I can’t hear you! Ha ha ha

Let’s take a peek at some of the lyrics, this song shall we? Go ahead, sing along if you remember the tune. You already know I’ll be singing. 🙂

“There are times when a woman has to say what’s on her mind
Even though she knows how much it’s gonna hurt
Before I say another word, let me tell you, I love you
Let me hold you close and say these words as gently as I can

There’s been another man that I’ve needed and I’ve loved
But that doesn’t mean I love you less
And he knows he can’t possess me and he knows he never will
There’s just this empty place inside of me that only he can fill”

Ummm, what?

Wait, it gets better.

“Torn between two lovers, feelin’ like a fool
Lovin’ both of you is breakin’ all the rules
Torn between two lovers, feelin’ like a fool
Lovin’ you both is breakin’ all the rules”

Soooo, you know what you’re doing is wrong, but yet, you keep choosing to do it anyways. Ok, got it. Continue.

“You mustn’t think you’ve failed me
Just because there’s someone else
You were the first real love I ever had
And all the things I ever said
I swear they still are true
For no one else can have the part of me I gave to you”

This is where that famous saying, “it’s not you, it’s me” comes into play. And it’s true here. It really is her and what she felt she lacked. Her answer, let’s get another guy to fill the gaps the first guy was clearly lacking.

Ok, let’s wrap this up, because once the chorus gets sung again the pièce de résistance (she said in her best French accent) of this song comes into full focus. Are you ready for it?

“I couldn’t really blame you if you turned and walked away
But with everything I feel inside, I’m asking you to stay”

Ummm, what?

Notice she didn’t say she was gonna kick the other guy to the curb. She didn’t ask for forgiveness. She never even apologizes. She simply explains herself and her actions and asks him to be ok with the third wheel being in the mix.

Sadly, we never get to hear his answer. Or if she told the other guy about the first guy. We’re just left with, here’s a girl, loving 2 guys, explaining why she needs two guys and for the two guys to be okay with it.

Spoiler alert! Anyone who has ever been in a monogamous relationship, who thought they were truly in a monogamous relationship, is not okay with this cavalier attitude towards relationship.

This is why it’s so very important what you allow to speak into your life. I’m not saying in any way, shape or form, this song is the reason I felt it was ok to ever cheat in my relationships, but it was definitely one of the seeds that gave me the illusion it was acceptable.

Inevitably, ultimately and irrevocably, I made the selfish choices to do what I did.

If you’ve ever been cheated on, I’m so sorry. It was a choice you didn’t make, but had thrust upon you and it no doubt turned your world upside down. I know, I’ve been there.

If you’ve ever been the cheater, I’m so sorry for whatever happened in your life that you felt the answer was more of what you already had over addressing the true matter of your heart. I know, I’ve been there.

Please know that if a person cheats on you, it’s not about you. I can’t say that enough. So, I’ll say it again. It’s not about you. It’s 100% about what’s going on in their heart.

They may try to pin it on you, they may twist the words to justify it, but rarely, when they’re in the thick of it, will they take responsibility for their actions and claim it’s an issue with them. Because they won’t see or refuse to see it’s an issue with them. That’s how they justify what’s going on. I know, I’ve been there.

How else could words like these be justified:

“I couldn’t really blame you if you turned and walked away
But with everything I feel inside, I’m asking you to stay”

They can’t. Those lyrics, are all about self, twisted to make it seem like they’re the victim.

It’s a matter of the condition of the heart. Proverbs 4:23 warns us:

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (NIV)

Did you see that, EV-ER-Y-THING you do, flows from your heart.

Here’s a few examples. If you’ve ever had a broken heart, you cry, you grieve and your countenance is usually sad. If you’re excited, your heart beats a bit faster, your eyes glisten, and maybe your palms sweat. If your adrenaline is really kicking, from something good or bad (like being afraid), your heart beats to the rhythm of what’s going on, your breathing gets a bit more labored and you feel like you want to bust right out of your skin. And in its’ final curtain call, if your heart stops beating, well, you know that ending.

Every choice we make, every decision we act on has a consequence. It’s never just about one single person. When it comes to cheating I daresay it’s all about how much worth you place on yourself and where you get it from.

I wrote about that in this post What’s In Your Treasure Chest

But, no matter what the excuse is for cheating, it will always come back to it being a matter of your heart, your choice, your decision. It’s all about you.

So choose wisely because I can say the consequences of the thing that makes you feel temporarily awesome will inevitably rip your guts out. I know, because I was there.

There’s a saying, “once a cheater, always a cheater.” It’s what someone or society labels you when you cheat. But they don’t just call you a cheater, they wrap you in an “always a cheater” blanket and stop looking at who you really are.

If said aloud or enough to yourself, it will take root, and if you’re not secure in who God says you are, you’ll believe the lie and start acting out what those believe say you are, forgetting whose you are.

How many times have your heard someone say, “I’m such a _________. It must be true or they wouldn’t say it.” You can fill in the blank with any number of things. Failure. Loser. Mistake. Cheater.

It was in this place, where I piled guilt upon shame upon disgrace upon self-loathing, upon disgust, upon regret, upon hate on myself. It’s no wonder I didn’t want to be around myself or think I had anything good to offer this world. How could I?

But God!

Proverbs 19:21 says:

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (NIV)

In my heart, I wanted to take away my pain by ending my life. As you can see, I’m still here, my plans failed and His purpose is prevailing. Yay! Thank you Jesus!

Your lot in this life is not found in your failures. It’s about getting up after the fall. Jesus didn’t remain dead after being crucified. I mean, you can’t fall much harder than that.

No, He rose up and kicked death square in the face so that we could know victory. But before we know what victory looks like, we will fail. We will have trials. We will face persecution. We will come up against opposition. But, those things are not the end.

Today, let’s grab hold of some serious truth. This is one of my favorite truths to hold onto when I think things can “never” change.

Isaiah 43:19 says:

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (ESV)

Friends, don’t give up. It’s not over yet. This is absolutely the first day of the rest of your life. Everything else is the past, and you are not your past. You are very much here, and in the present and God is most assuredly making a way in the wilderness. I know, because I’m there.

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Life Interrupted

by Trish Cordell

Being new in my faith, I can’t say as I always “get” what God is trying to tell me. I can read His Word and listen to Worship music, tap my feet and sing till someone tells me to stop because I’m told, someone else is on the radio for a reason. I can go out into the world, smile at people and say a friendly hello, come home and plop back into my comfortable life. Those are all very good things, but there’s something that God didn’t see from me. So, what started out as a subtle Fatherly nudge, over the course of a few months, suddenly became my life interrupted.

For years I’ve lived my life day by day in a state of what I would call, dutiful. I know what it means to be a dutiful child, a dutiful mother, a dutiful friend, and well, you get the picture. But there was no real joy in all of this duty. Somewhere along the road of life and all it entails, I can say I truly lost my joy. I love to help people, and you would think that would bring me great joy. But, it didn’t. I love to give, and you would think that would bring me great joy. But, it didn’t. I love to make people laugh, and you would think that would bring me great joy. But, it didn’t. I love to receive (just keeping it real), and you would think that would bring me great joy. But it didn’t. I asked Christ to come into my life and I got baptized and you would think that would bring me great joy. But, it didn’t. Now don’t get me wrong, best decision of my life was to give my life over to the Lord, but that didn’t mean I took a magic pill and I was instantly transformed. Took me years to get to where I am, and I gave God a lot to transform.

All around me now are Biblical verses and messages of joy, and love, and joy, and love, and joy and love; have been for quite some time actually. This is where God’s nudges have turned into…umm, hello, will you let Me not just talk, but will you listen and obey? Of course God, but, I’m still not sure what you mean, I’m doing what you’re telling me. I’m loving on people and I’ve got my smile on, so why the same messages? Did you just hear God sigh? I think He may have just sighed.

Deep down, way deep down, there was this child, who never got to be a child. Life became very serious, very early on. Life was chaotic, emotionally and mentally destructive and painful. In order to survive, she shut herself down and started to live life dutifully. Everything was done out of this sense of duty instead of joyfully. So it should come as no real surprise for her to understand that God didn’t want this for her…God didn’t want this for me. I took joy and shoved it under the weight of many blankets and I carried out my life dutifully. In doing so, I left myself wide open to all kinds of spiritual warfare. I needed my life interrupted so I could get my joy back. But first, I needed to understand a little bit more about joy.

In all of my Bible teachings no where have I read that life is meant to be lived dutifully. In my pea brain, this is how I got it worked out. First off, I had to understand this is not a circumstantial emotion. Regardless of our circumstances we are to do everything with joy. Roll my eyes, yea, blah, blah, blah. No disrespect meant here. My structured logical brain got it. My emotional brain was still saying….huh? Okay, so let’s try it from this perspective.

If I don’t have joy knowing God is in control and that He works everything out for my good, then when life beats me up, what will happen? I’ll lose my joy, feel defeated and now the enemy can come creepy crawling in and fill my head with lies. That’s why God says to “rejoice” always, not sometimes, not just when I feel like it, but always. If I’m busy re-joy-cing, no matter the circumstance, the enemy can’t come in and turn me into a dutiful, depressed, the life has been sucked out of me zombie. Joy doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply put, I have joy because I have God. So that’s where they joy comes from, it’s a gift from God. He gives it, and all I need do is receive it.