I used to be a huge Third Day fan. Over the last couple of years, however, I haven’t been impressed with their albums or how “big” they’ve gotten. Almost feels like they sold out and their music has suffered. A couple weeks ago, I had a hankering for some Third Day, so I’ve listened to their full discography several times. It was good to hear the old school stuff, and while I still don’t like Wire (their second newest album) at all, their newest album, Wherever You Are, has really grabbed my attention again. I Can Feel It, Keep On Shinin, Mountain of God and How Do You Know are great songs and Love Heals Your Heart has really touched me lately and gotten a lot of play time. Lyrics and clip of this song are below:

Love Heals Your Heart

Did you think you were immune to this
Did you think you could escape without infection
You do all you’re able to resist
Just to avoid the danger of rejection

Memory warns you of the past
When it all went wrong

When you think your life is shattered
And there’s no way to be fixed again
Love heals your heart
At a time you least expected
You’re alive like you have never been
Love heals your heart

Everybody has a wall to climb
That was built to guard the pain that holds them captive
Every smile that they would hide behind
Will try to mask the hurt beneath the surface

Sometimes it’s hard to understand
How we’re trapped inside

Here’s a “behind the music” quote from Third Day member Brad Avery, who wrote the song:

Everyone gets a tiny taste of love sometime in their lives that serves as a picture of what could be. Energizing, purifying, and freeing. Suddenly, in one fatal moment, life happens and fragments of hope scatter. Scrambling to protect ourselves, we construct a fortress to shelter our battered hearts. What was built to keep us safe eventually becomes our prison. When we realize our need to escape, we find ourselves institutionalized and unable to engage.

How very true, and unfortunate, this is. How quickly we lose sight of that glimpse of the beauty and awesomeness of love when we’re battered and blown by the world and are faced with issues and problems that seem to have no end. It’s hard to let go when you’ve been hurt and disappointed so many times. “Memory warns you of the past, When it all went wrong.” As humans, it is very hard to let go of the past and trust in God for the future. We quickly lose hope, the walls go up and instead of helping and protecting us, they end up hurting us and others all the more. This applies not only to significant others, but to friends and family as well. If only we could make ourselves more vulnerable, if we could let others who truly care about us help us to heal, we wouldn’t trap ourselves in this prison. How much time and love has been wasted while we’re stuck alone in our fortress? How many of God’s blessings have we pushed away because we’re too scared and afraid of what may or may not happen?

As a single person, these lyrics from the chorus state what I’ve tried to remind and reassure myself with over the longs years that have been my season of singleness: “At a time you least expected, You’re alive like you have never been.” I’m still trying to hold on to that, that as ready as I am to give it all, but frustrated with where I am, with seemingly no hope or progress, I just have to keep on living my life for God and trust He will provide. I have to keep the faith and hope in the promise that God will provide and bless me.