For an introduction and Chapter 1 go here.
Jon Foreman, Switchfoot & Me
Ch. 2 – Beautiful, Broken Humanity
Life moved forward, and more music came along with it. Switchfoot’s second album, New Way to Be Human contained more of the contemplative words I was growing to love. The title track offered a different perspective on life to consider.
Something More, a reflection of the writings of Augustine, hit again on the longing for deeper meaning in life. And since I had my first mesmerizing encounter with Augustine’s writings that year, it’s no wonder this song’s lyrics appealed to me.
To be honest though, I don’t really remember a whole lot about experiencing this album at the time of its release. When I look back at what my life held that year, this lack of remembering is not really a surprise.
It was the year I watched my baby sister die of cancer. The year I started dating the boy who would become my husband. The year I graduated high school and moved out from home and into a new freedom living with a friend. The year I made myself ill carrying so many college credits I couldn’t think straight. The year of my first massive wrestle with faith and doubt. The year of reveling in the fun of independence. The year of my first encounter with the way stifled grief could assail a sensitive soul.
It is no wonder that the only song that really stands out from that time is Only Hope. A wildly popular movie (that was so sad I never should have watched it) made it impossible to miss this song. And though the movie featured a very beautiful version of this song by Mandy Moore, I will always go back with favor to that calm and soothing voice I was learning to love. I didn’t know the last line of this song’s chorus would come to me again and again over the years, a declaration (and sometimes a plea) of what becomes so clear in the midst of both joy and pain.
I know now You’re my only hope
And in spite of the blurry memory, I must have listened to the album more than my brain recalls, because 24 years later when life felt stripped of all hope, the chorus of Let that be Enough was the prayer that echoed in my mind. A prayer that whispered in my suffering like a gentle lullaby.
Let me know that you hear me
Let me know your touch
Let me know that you love me
Let that be enough
Amazing how God plants gifts within us, knowing what we need because He knows our story from beginning to end. And in the darkest of moments we can discover a gift that’s been sitting there waiting for us all along. Words to pray when we have no words of our own.
