Exegeting the Hymns #25 - Live it Well

Live it Well
w/m Jonathan Mark Foreman, Timothy David Foreman

Take the burden from my arms
Take the anchors off my lungs
Take me broken and make me one
Break the silence and make it a song

Life is short; I wanna live it well
One life, one story to tell
Life is short; I wanna live it well
And you're the one I'm living for
Awaken all my soul
Every breath that you take is a miracle
Life is short; I wanna live it well

I wanna sing with all my heart a lifelong song
Even if some notes come out right and some come out wrong
'Cause I can't take none of that through the door
Yeah, I'm living for more than just a funeral
I wanna burn brighter than the dawn

I got one life and one love
I got one voice, but maybe that's enough
'Cause with one heartbeat and two hands to give
I got one shot and one life to live
One life to live

As we enter the new year, there is always a renewed zeal for serving the Lord among His church. While this is something we should be doing on a daily basis, there are times when we specifically focus on repentance and on the Kingdom work. The Lord’s Supper is an occasion when we do this regularly, but the new year is a time of transition from old to new, so it reminds us to put off the old man and daily put on the new.  

Years ago, John Piper wrote a groundbreaking book that every believer should read, “Don’t waste your life”. I can’t help but think that his book may have inspired the guys in Switchfoot to pen this tune. Take the burden from my arms. Take the anchors off my lungs. The imagery of the runner in the race comes to mind from Hebrews 12:1-3. A runner can’t run until he lays aside every sin and weight that slows us down. We carry around many burdens, burdens that sometimes make us feel as though we are running in sand, burdens that crush us like a 300 lb barbell dropped on our chest. Take me broken and make me one. Break the silence and make it a song. We are all broken, not only in our sinful flesh, but often, in our souls as well. “Take me broken” is a bit of an understatement since, even though we try to pretend otherwise, none of as have it all together. Jesus is the one who can truly speak to our souls and make them whole.

Life is short; I wanna live it well. As the rock band Kansas once opined, “All we are is dust in the wind” and the daytime soap opera would add, “Like the sands of the hour glass, so are the days of our lives”, we can’t help but agree, life is fleeting. C.T. Studd’s poem sums it up well, “Only one life, twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last”. We hear of so many who undertake their Christian life with such passion, only to stumble just before the finish line. As believers, we want to end well. 1 Corinthians 9 says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” One life, one story to tell. Once a word is spoken, a deed one, a life is lived, it can’t be undone. We have only one story to tell. There can be repentance, forgiveness, and restoration, but we should strive to get it right the first time.

And you're the one I'm living for. Awaken all my soul, every breath that you take is a miracle. I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I need to be slapped out of my slumber. Like a driver who dozes off and the rumble strip jolts him back to consciousness, sometimes we need our souls to be shocked back on the right path, awakened to an eternal focus.

I wanna sing with all my heart a lifelong song, even if some notes come out right and some come out wrong. None of us are going to reach the level of sinless perfection here. I have known many who have claimed it, and yet have been able to watch their life and see it is not the case. There are times I reach a level of sanctification where I have no desire to sin anymore, only to find myself in the mire just an hour later. Again, thank God that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us. 'Cause I can't take none of that through the door, yeah, I'm living for more than just a funeral. I wanna burn brighter than the dawn. When they have my memorial service one day, know that my desire is not to have rattled off a list of my accomplishments or my personal qualities. I want people rejoicing that God took a sinner like me, saved me, used me year after year, even though I failed Him in some way on a daily basis. I want to serve Him with every last breath of my existence. I have no interest in retiring to a beach in Mexico, wasting away my final years. Like the writer of the aforementioned poem expressed, "And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be, if the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.”

I got one life and one love. I got one voice, but maybe that's enough. In our own power, no, that is not enough. It is never enough. My one issue with this song is that it never really references the God who takes what we have and makes it usable. Without Him, I can do nothing. With Him, I can do all things He call me to do. 'Cause with one heartbeat and two hands to give, I got one shot and one life to live. As we enter this new year, you may or may not sing this song, but you should be singing a song of praise for another year, and a song of renewed diligence to the one you serve.

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