Gold

I like to say I listened to Mumford & Sons before Everyone listened to Mumford & Sons. But, I'm pretty sure everyone likes to say that. Whatever the case may be, this British folk rock band is equal parts weird and wonderful, and their music, when you can decipher the words through a thick accent, has a spirituality that is blatant and poetic. (They do drop the occasional F bomb in some of their tunes which I'm okay with, but just be aware if you're about to go to iTunes and download their art.)  

A friend told me recently to listen to I Will Wait. Not only is it a great song to play loudly while driving with the windows down, but I looked up the lyrics and loved it all over again. They are simple and profound. Here are the lines that most captivate me.

Raise my hands,
Paint my spirit gold
Bow my head
Keep my heart slow.

The image of a spirit painted gold. That is what happens, what God does. What I want him to do. I tromp through the world splashing myself with mud and grime, sometimes because I stomp, sometimes because the road is just that grimy. Every now and then I trail my fingers through the muck to see what it is like and a few times I've been shoved down. I try and fix it myself and just end up smeary and panicked.

But in the presence of an Almighty who specializes in drawing beauty in unlikely places, my spirit is painted gold by the light of Him alone. Nothing is needed of me but to be there, be fallen upon. And the joy, the rest, it calls me to worship.

Thank you, Jesus, that you are a painter, a recycler, a rescuer. Thank you for music and color and hope. Thank you for British folk rock bands and for inspiring them to put in such simple words the most awesome experience available on this earth. All my love.