Day 3: “Shine”

The song that most strongly connects to yesterday’s post on comparison and inferiority for me is “Shine” by Christa Wells.

As a lover of music and an amateur songwriter myself, I have always loved learning the stories behind songs. It’s like peeking inside the open windows of a brightly lit living room on a dark night. It gives us a peek into the songwriter’s world. Read more, if you’d like, of her story behind this song here, here, and here.

I love the whole song, but I especially identify with the second verse. Christa wrote, “When I look back at the lyrics, ‘Yes, we could lay our talents in the earth’ that started way back when I was in college…I went home from college and attended a Bible study with a college pastor who preached on the parable of the talents. I had heard the parable and only thought it was about financial resources. I hadn’t thought about it as actual talents. The message felt directed right at me and I was convicted that I was the one with a small amount of talent and I was burying it. That was the seed of the idea that it’s not about you. It doesn’t even belong to you. It’s been handed to you to invest in it and grow it. I realized that burying the talent is not honoring to God who entrusted and gave it to you.”

Lyrics:

Yes, it’s hard to believe

When you’re well aware that you’re not what you mean to be

And your house is full of unfinished rooms

‘Cause you’re fond of starts, but you find it hard to follow through

You think you’re recognized by your faults

But the mirror that you hold is false

‘Cause you shine

 

He shines His light through a prism

We give back what we’re given

To color this, to color this

To color this world, color this world

Be the friend you never had

Be the one to take a stand

Say it your way, say it your way

Say it your own way

 

And it’s hard to believe

That I count as much as those on either side of me

‘Cause I don’t have it, whatever it takes

To be like them, they are gifted in so many ways

Yes, we could lay our talents in the earth

We could pile on the doubt like dirt

Or we can shine 

 

He shines His light through a prism

We give back what we’re given

To color this, to color this

To color this world, color this world

Be the friend you never had

Be the one to take a stand

Say it your way, say it your way

Say it your own way

 

Shine, we shine, His light refracted

Shine, we shine His light refracted