Rare fleeting moments when I feel I could open my heart to Faith…

Last night I was on a late-night errand, driving on a dark and partially icy road in Cary, North Carolina, where I now live. The festive season is behind us, but the current snow and cold weather in the Southern States is bringing the Christmassy feeling. It’s a true winter!

The song “The Gift Goes On” came on. It’s by Sandi Patty. This is the only Christian song in my playlist of thousands of songs, which consists mostly of rock, alternative, and pop. I love this song, and there’s a story — tracing back thirty years — of why this particular song holds a place in my playlist.

I spent 1994/1995 in Oklahoma as a foreign exchange student — my first experience in America. I stayed with a host family whose father sang at a local church and often played Christian music. I wouldn’t describe that side of my stay — the faith of my host family — as something that defined my time in Oklahoma. We attended church every Sunday, but it all felt lightweight, not overimposing. I didn’t identify with my American family’s religion, but I didn’t reject it either. As a kid and teenager, I had faith and considered myself Christian, but I never concerned myself with denominations.

My host dad wasn’t into the music I liked — mostly rock, and I wasn’t a fan of Christian music, but I loved that particular song by Sandi Patty. Coincidentally, she’s an Oklahoma native. It’s a catchy, beautiful tune that’s full of warmth and light!

After leaving Oklahoma, I didn’t hear the song for many years as I didn’t have the CD, but happily added it to my playlist once digital music took over our smartphones and devices. It’s one of those songs I never fast forward — whether I’m driving or running.

So I was driving last night and enjoying this song:

It’s a Gift that keeps on giving

If our spirits can receive

It’s the secret joy of living

If our hearts can just believe”

For a moment, I felt a longing to believe. To receive. To just believe.