Working out our salvation

Well, I had the coolest thing happen last night. We were getting ready to go to Perkins for dinner and we had a few minutes before Lori came back from her meeting, so I pulled out the guitar and I asked Rachel to write a song with me. I said she could sing a line, and then I would and then her, then me (etc.) thinking, you know, that MY lines would help her's make sense (yeah, I can be THAT kind of daddy, too...). So, her first line wasn't very promising: I am beside the lemonade stand... So we went through a verse and, as best I could, I used her melody. Well, I didn't write down the first verse because the second and third were pretty exciting - and the chorus:

I Made Different Colors

When a baby lamb asleep
Dreams of tomorrow
How awful it would be
To dream it all alone
I tried to paint you happy
I tried to paint you home

I made different colors
A rainbow's all I see
I made different colors
Come and share with me
I made different colors
A rainbow around me
I made different colors
Won't you come and share with me

Now I'm so very sad
Because it's time to say goodbye
And I don't know what to say
When I hear you cry
I tried to paint you happy
I tried to paint you home

I made different colors
A rainbow's all I see
I made different colors
Come and share with me
I made different colors
A rainbow around me
I made different colors
Will you come and share with me?

Of course as I read that, I think that most of the dark and cynical stuff should be mine, but mine is just filler. Rachel's lines: "when a baby lamb asleep" "how awful it would be" ...something about painting... "I made different colors" "Now I'm so very sad because it's time to say goodbye." Okay, some of the cynical (is that even the right word?) stuff is mine - but I think my daughter has some talent (SHE'S FIVE...so forgive the lamb thing - except, that's what we keep telling her Rachel means...so...).

So, okay, it's not the best song in the world - but I'm really proud of her and I'll gladly put it with anything I've written.

What's neat about this moment - and what is related to the title. I was thinking today that God works like that. He says, "Bill, come here. I want to write a song with you. I'll do a line, then you do a line, then I'll do a line..." Like, God starts something and then I have the great privledge to see it come to wholeness. And when my contribution is dark and cynical and seems to lead nowhere - GOD has a direction, a redemption, light and hope for it. That might - just MIGHT - lead me to join in a chorus that holds out hope - I made different colors...

THAT is what I think working out our own salvation, in one small way, at least, means to me right now.

"Bill, come on. Let's write a song together..."