Because He Lives - My Little Story

edit: I did a page on this story! It's my first "Faithbooking" page. TFL.

I have no idea what compelled me to drive home 2 1/2 hours Saturday night. No one wanted me to, I was planning on staying at one of my favorite friends' houses, and it was pretty late {not to mention I'm just not as young as I used to be!}
It was a clear but eerie night and on more than one occasion, I thought maybe the Lord was calling me home. Why else would I be making this crazy drive in the middle of the night with my daughter in the car after the 3 hour drive up and a meet?
Let's start there. I drove up, leaving my house at 3 pm to a State gymnastics competition in Cortland, NY. We had a pretty good outing and won by 6 points, and put up some amazing scores, including one perfect 10.000 on vault. Tangent coming: I have mixed feelings about this; one, she'll never see that score again after this level, but two, it couldn't have happened to a nicer kid or harder worker. We win the meet, so we're all pretty stoked, and I just get this calling, and I tell Karen, "I think I'm going to drive home." Most people just looked at me like I was crazy.
I get to the car, with lots of help from some parents and another coach, say goodbye and goodnight and settle in the car, turned on, to nurse McKenna. I sat in that car still wondering why I was going home. I called Heidi and told her and she, too, thought I was a bit off my rocker.
I strap McKenna in and sail out onto the road. The WICKED soundtrack had been playing in my car on the way up and I listened to "For Good" for the hundreth time that day. Needing a change, I fished though the cds I had on hand, the ones still in cases, and I stumbled on Kristin Chenoweth cd. She's Glinda in WICKED and I love her other cd I bought at the same time as this one, the one I've listened to: "Let Yourself Go" full of old show tunes, and the one I stumbled upon that night, "As I Am." I pop it in and immediately notice Christian songs. What wonderful music! First of all, a song called "Because He Lives" I'm about to share with everyone because its words are amazing.

Because He Lives

1. God sent His Son - they called Him Jesus,
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Chorus: Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

2. How sweet to hold a newborn baby
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because Christ lives.
(Chorus)

3. And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory - and I'll know He lives.
(Chorus)

Now I'm really thinking that this might be my last night. I keep listening and find myself filled with hope - being directed as if His hand is laid upon my head. I mean, actually feeling Him touching me: heavier in body, lighter in spirit.

Another song strikes a chord: "Borrowed Angels", which I already have a list of people to share with.

Now, I don't know much Christian music, but I listened to that entire cd.
Twice.

A third song makes me almost stop the car.

Upon This Rock

When others see with earthly eyes
Just what they want to see
You will see the things that never die
You will know and recognize
By simple child-like faith
The priceless truth that
Others will deny.

When others say I'm just a man
Who likes to dream His dreams
When others call a miracle a myth
You'll listen for eternity
In moments as they pass
And see with spirit eyes
What others miss.

Upon this rock I'll build My kingdom
And on this rock forever and ever it shall stand
And all the powers of Hell itself
Shall never more prevail against it
For Satan's thrones are built on sinking sand
Upon this rock I'll build My kingdom
And on this rock forever and ever it shall stand
Upon this rock of revelation
I'll build a strong and mighty nation
And it shall stand the storms of time
Upon this rock.

If in a simple carpenter
You see the Son of God
If you would chose to lose
When you could win
If you would give your life away
For nothing in return
Then you are where
My kingdom will begin.

Not sure what it was, but I had never felt closer to God than in this very car trip.
I'm not sure if it was that it was a special day: it was my husband's and my 6th anniversary.
I'm not sure if it was that it was a great day: we had just won our second State Championship in the same year.
I'm not sure if it was that it was a milestone night: my car that night turned over 100,000 miles.
I'm not sure if it was the ambience: it was the night before a full moon and was the clearest of clear nights.
I'm just not sure.

But it was this night that I realized that I had everything I needed. My Lord. My family. My husband. A full family of my own. The less important: a great job, a house, a car, not riches, but some "stuff" that makes me happy. Anything else that I want or obtain, is just "icing on the cake," as they say.
How fortunate I am.

We made it home that night at 1 am.
We made it home safe and sound.
We made it home happy.
We made it home blessed.