"All I Want is the Shore": Hope and Faith in Difficult Times

The inevitability of facing difficult times during the course of our lives never wipes away the desire within us to avoid pain or suffering at all costs. More and more people are facing that very truth right now. With some of the larger companies in this country laying off workers and the global economic crisis we are all facing becoming all too real, most people probably see distant storms of trouble causing rising waters of hardship and want nothing but the shore.

I wish that image had sprung from my own creativity, but the actual vision is from a song by a group named Addison Road called Hope Now. "When my life is a storm, rising waters all I want is the shore" the vocalist sings in her hauntingly desperate voice. But the desperation ends there because the rest of the song is filled with words sung with a confidence that only hope and faith can provide. A hope that something more wonderful is on its way and a faith that it will come to pass. Together hope and faith work in tandem to provide her the freedom to accept all that comes across her path without fear.

That seems to be what we all could use right now. A confidence that we don't have to fear the future. Even if we are sure our jobs our secure, we all face uncertainty about something. Maybe it's a hesitation in regard to starting a family or anxiety over buying a home. Some are frozen from fear of making a decision because they have made poor choices in the recent past and can't be sure their instincts are right.

Our future though, shouldn't be shackled by such fear. Although it is perfectly natural to long for the shore, the storms of life are meant to strengthen us. But this is a question of hope and faith. Do we have the fortitude to believe that all things work out in the end? Many have compared our current circumstances to the road that led up to the Great Depression in the 1930's. If so are we brave enough to see it through like our great grandparents were?

I think we are. I think this country is made up of more than just the average self indulgent teenager or the stereotypical white or blue collar criminal. This country is made up of hard working people who dream big dreams and follow them. People who put others before themselves. People who make mistakes but learn from them and are worthy of emulation.

The song though, that is about something altogether different. It is about something many people understand on a deeply life changing level. It is about a man who loves them so much that there is no reason to fear what this world throws at them because he has overcome the world. Take that for what its worth, but don't disregard the point. The storms of this life will pour down on us at some point in our short time here, and it is ok to want the shore, but until you get there, it's important that you recognize how different you can be because of the rain.

Sources:

http://www.addisonroad.com/