This line is from one of my favorite hymns, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.
I have often tuned my heart along the key of my self rather than His grace.
My self improvement. My self righteousness. My self importance.
Ann Voskamp in her book, Waymaker, uses the phrase “drowning in self-importance.” Jesus rescues her from that…
and me, too.
It starts so innocently. We just want to be our best. Please our parents. Serve God. Make a difference. Not waste our one life.
As we grow in our skills and well meaning attempts, encouragement and accomplishments can bring on “rising star syndrome” (I think I just made that up?) which keeps us looking for applause well after the crowds have left.
We fall hard from the sky when our focus is on how well we can carry on in the duties, responsibilities, privileges, and tasks of the life He has given us. We fall hard when we are sick, tired, frustrated, misunderstood, or forgetful of why we are doing what we are doing in the first place.
But if we allow Him to tune our heart to sing His grace, we switch from a focus on that old covenant of works to the new covenant of grace. From a covenant of performance to a covenant of acceptance. From behavior to belonging. From death to life. From us to Him.
Oh, to bring the focus back to HIM!
HE is perfect. HE is good. HE is wise. HE is faithful. HE is all the things we wish we were.
Yes, He is conforming us to His likeness – He is restoring His glory in us – to be hope and light on this earth –
But still, still…
The joy comes when we understand it isn’t about US.
So –
“Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
call for songs of loudest praise.”
