The old and familiar is an anchor for the soul.

 

Kathy and I recently saw a Beatles Tribute Show. It was a fun show. The crowd was mostly our age.  Most of us had probably not listened to this music in years, but when the music started the words just flowed from our lips. Not only did the words come back, so did the memories like sitting on the couch with my  family and watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.  The evening brought back a flood of memories and emotions. 

Kathy and I were visiting a church in north Georgia. They have a blended service. That means they have some of the new songs and some of the old and familiar hymns. I am a huge fan of most of the new worship songs. I was not prepared for my reaction that day to one of the old and familiar hymns. We sang Great Is Thy Faithfulness. As we began to sing, it took me back to Southeast Christian Church in Orlando where I grew up. We sang that song there often.  It reminded me of the faithfulness of God to me through that church and those who invested in my life as a young person. It wasn’t long before I felt tears running down my face because I was reminded of God’s faithfulness to me over 50 years ago.

A number of years ago, someone told me that the old and familiar was an anchor for the soul. I am not sure of the origin of that nugget of wisdom, but it sounds like something Fred Craddock would say.  That morning in the north Georgia church that old and familiar hymn ministered to my soul as it reminded me of a lifetime of God’s faithfulness.