BEHIND THE SONGS
“Come To The Garden”
COME TO THE MOUNTAIN, LOOK AT THE VIEW
We went on a hike that wasn’t planned, simply taking a ranger’s advice and checking out his proclaimed favorite spot. It was a manageable journey, a 3 mile out-and-back along a beautiful ridge. There were pine tree groves, scenic views on our left and right, and an ideal blend of exerting and leisurely.
The payoff of the hike was the bald it led to, a secluded paradise called ‘Andrew’s Bald.’ Moments before you arrived, you traverse through an incredible pine grove that left you inundated with the scent of pine sap. And then the trees clear out as you emerge into the bald. Soft grass takes over for the needle-covered ground. The sky feels stretched out to capacity. You’re surrounded by a view of endless mountain ranges.
THE DARKNESS LINGERS, BUT NOT FOR LONG.
I think in the moment I vocalized this thought to my friends, but it was a thought that didn’t leave me for quite some time. It was the start of truly understanding what Romans 8 describes.
“We ourselves, we groan inwardly as we await our adoption to sonship, the redemption of these bodies.”
I came home from that trip with the the typical post-vacation blues, but it held on longer and became depressive. I soon found the beauty of creation challenging instead of captivating. I felt homesick for heaven and struggled to carry the feeling.
THE WORLD IS WEARY, IT CREAKS AND GROANS.
IT’S RESTLESS FOR THE DAY WHEN IT WILL BE MADE WHOLE.
This song, Come To The Garden, was the first real song I ever wrote. It was born a few weeks before I put down a single word of it. In the spring of 2023, I added another National Park to my list of travels as I headed to the Great Smokey Mountains.
I can never see too many mountains. I will never tire of the way they break the horizon, demanding my attention. In the Great Smokey Mountains, there are peaks as far as the eye can see. Whether you’re at their feet or their summits, they are breathtaking. But during this hiking trip, I found their beauty to be conflicting, melancholy even.
At the time I went to Tennessee, I was in the midst of one of the more severe bouts of chronic health issues. I felt very tired of constant physical pain, and I was weary of the endless suffering.
SURE IT’S PRETTY NOW, BUT WAIT ‘TIL IT’S MADE NEW.
It was one of those places where as you lay on your back and watch the clouds, time takes a rest. I’m not entirely sure how long we stayed there. But however minutes passed, it was not long enough. At a lot of lookout points on trails, there are people who do not feel compelled to use quieted voices. At this place, the few other hikers who paused there seemed to be unified in a silent reverence.
As we left and reentered the pine grove, I had the first thought of clarity in regards to my struggle and sadness of the beauty surrounding us. The thought wasn’t profound, it was quite simple.
“I can’t wait to hike this mountain in a glorified body.”
THOUGH NIGHT HAS FALLEN, IT’LL SOON BE GONE.
I often play guitar or piano as a form of pain management, using them as tools to take my mind off the moment’s discomfort. During this time, I also took to journaling and writing to process my thoughts. One afternoon, I wrote an entry I had titled ‘A Tumultuous Relationship With Beauty.’ By the end of my writing, I realized that the answer wasn’t to avert my eyes from creation, but allow it to stir up the sadness and the hope. From this came two of the repeated phrases that led to me sitting down and writing this song as a way to let the truth settle deep within my soul:
“Come to the garden.”
“The darkness lingers, but not for long.”
