Tuesday, September 25, 2007

The Time and the Dream


Today our son, Luke, is leaving, and I won't see him again for a year. He's going to Cote d'Ivoire, Africa, as a public health intern with World Venture. He's raised all his support, gotten all his shots, packed a remarkably small amount of clothes (he's a guy), and has assembled a prayer team.

I suppose he's as ready as he can be, but he really doesn't know what to expect. The climate, the food, the government, the language--everything will be new.

I know Luke will see poverty and some forms of suffering on a level he's never seen before. He will face loneliness, discomfort, and possibly danger. But I'm not afraid, because I also know he will cling to Jesus.

Not long ago, Luke wrote a song for two of his friends who were about to get married. The title, Great Ormond Street, refers to a children's hospital in London, a place that figures significantly in the story of Peter Pan. Though one might think some of the lyrics odd for a wedding song, I love the big-picture view they conjure. Here's the song:

Great Ormond Street, by Luke Damoff

I have watched the dance you weave
Run back and forth between the trees
It has been redeemed
And it will be redeemed

And the rain may fall on your wedding day
Don’t pray the clouds away
They were sent as a grace

And the rain will rise from churchyard stones
Your mother cries ‘cause her child is grown
But we all laugh because we know
Your love has found its home

At the end of Great Ormond Street,
A mother cries just for relief
Will her tears be redeemed?

Cause the rain will fall on courtyard stones
And the child cries when he’s left alone
And the siren’s wail will let you know
That love is going Home

But if the rain won’t fall, then the grass can’t grow
Though we’re all just scared of dying alone
Do not fear—just know
That Love will guide us Home.

The time and the dream have each in turn returned redeemed.
The time and the dream have each in turn returned redeemed.
The time and the dream have each in turn returned redeemed.
The time and the dream have each in turn returned redeemed.

*~*~*~

I pray that Luke will keep this bigger picture in mind as he soars into an unknown future. Whatever happens, it's a blessing to know that the time and the dream will each in turn returned redeemed.

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