Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.

When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

The song amazes me. So does the story of the man who wrote it- and the irony of his former position as a slave trader, and then how the song gained momentum in the American south through the slaves.

Here's a video about it if you're a history nerd like me and want to watch, otherwise skip the video and keep reading:

The song first seriously struck me last summer, right before I went to college, when the father of one of my dear friends sang a solo in sacrament meeting. The man has been literally going blind throughout his life, and  has such limited vision left the doctors predict he will be permanently blind within a few years. When he sang, "was blind but now I see", it struck me that he couldn't possibly be talking about literal vision. So- what was he talking about being able to see?

I think... it's seeing a deeper meaning in life, and that is Jesus Christ. Seeing His love. Seeing His miracles. Seeing the power of his Atonement change you from the person you didn't like to be before into the person you could not have become today without His hand.

This song is very true of my life. Grace has saved me from struggles with my testimony, trying to love friends and collegues when I felt like I did not have any more love to give, letting my best friend Bradley leave on a mission to Spain for two years, and leaving all my friends in Amarillo Texas when we had to move to Washington. I cannot deny that grace alone got me through those hard times. It truly is amazing.

So- here. Give it a try- play this video, close your eyes, and listen to the lyrics.
Think about your life.
Think about growing up, learning, loving, falling, and getting back up again.
See if it touches your heart like it did mine.