Some people have a great name, and it gets them to great places or helps them stay out of trouble! Some people have a song in their heart which they sing when they’re happy or sad. The tune may help them through difficult times. Still others, might have a dream which they’re holding on to in order to get where they need to go. These are three things useful in life.
Hard to believe, but a bit over fifty years have transpired since the death of folk singer, Jim Croce, at age thirty. His songs impacted lots of people in the short time he was popular. And they still do. A favorite of mine, I Got A Name, deals with the three points above.
You may have a name you wished you didn’t. Then again, you might love it. You may have an old song that’s out of tune with those around you, but you still sing it. Maybe your dream, as wrote poet, Langston Hughes, has dried up like a raisin in the sun, or maybe it’s deferred.
Regardless of your circumstances, as the late Jim Croce sang, “I got a name…and I’ll carry it with me like my daddy did.” I got a song…And I carry it with me and I sing it loud…I’ve got a dream…and you know I can share it if I wanted to…”
It’s a great song by a talented singer. The lyrics, “Moving me down the highway, rolling me down the highway, moving ahead so life won’t pass me by” are the saddest part of his short life.
Like so many people, the singer wanted to enjoy all life offers before it passed him by. Yet, it was cut short in an airplane crash. There are no guarantees in life. Tomorrow is elusive. Don’t count on tomorrow to live and do what you can accomplish today. For many, it never comes.
Christ has given us a new name; a new identity (Isaiah 62:2). He’s put a new song in us (Psalm 40:3). He’s given us dreams to dream and to fulfill (Jeremah 29:11; Joel 2:28). Enjoy your new name today! Sing out loud the song God has given you! Fulfill your dreams ASAP! God has done all that for us out of love. Live in the moment. Cherish each breath. Reach others for Him. Keep moving before life p-a-s-s-e-s you by.
God Bless!
Sam
Harlem Langston Hughes, 1951; I Got a Name Jim Croce, 1973