Everybody, each and all, we’re gonna die eventually
It’s no more or less our faults than it is our destiny
So now Lord I come to You asking only for Your grace
You know what I’ve put myself through, all those empty dreams I chased

And when my body lies in the ruins of the lies that nearly ruined me
Will You pick up the pieces that were pure and true
And breathe Your life into them and set them free?

But when You start this world over again from scratch
Will You make me anew out of the stuff that lasts?
Stuff that’s purer than gold, is clearer than glass could ever be
And can I be with You? Can I be with You?

And everybody, all and each from the day that we are born
We have to learn to walk beneath those mercies by which we’re drawn
And now we wrestle in the dark with these angels that we can’t see
We will move on although with scars, oh Lord move inside of me

And when my body lies in the ruins of the lies that nearly ruined me
Will You pick up the pieces that were pure and true
And breathe Your life into them and set them free?

And when You blast this cosmos to kingdom come
When those jagged-edged mountains I love are gone
When the sky is crossed with the tears of a thousand falling suns
As they crash into the sea, then can I be with You? Can I be with You

“Be With You” by Rich Mullins (10/21/1955-9/19/1997)

The other day, cruising around a beautiful lake in North Dakota in a friend’s boat, God brought this song to my mind. As I meditated on it, it seemed clear to me that at the root of it, my life, in all its seeming complexity, pretty much boils down to the same single question this song is asking.

It’s not about my circumstances. My successes or failures, victories or defeats do not define me. My goals and dreams and plans and hard work are not the most important things in my life. My perspective is limited and flawed. Others’ approval is of extremely limited value. My culture (about which I retain such a smug superiority) is both good and bad — one among many others which are also both good and bad. My nation and place in history are too. In general, it’s really not as much about me as I seem to think it is.

But there is a God who created the heavens and the earth, and created us … not to be distracted by and absorbed into everything else He made, but to walk with Him among them.

So, the big question … the first question in all these other things … the question I think Rich Mullins (died 18 years ago today) was really asking is… “Will you run to God?”

Good day today? Run to God! Bad day? Run to God! If everything seems to work / fit, run to God. If everything seems to go totally pear-shaped, run to God. Happy, sad, angry, scared? Confused, confident, cautious, or crazy. In life or death, our question is the same, “Father, can I be with you?”

From there, God will give us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Our job is to keep the main thing, the main thing.

Thanks for continuing to remind us, Rich!