“From the Hart” Devotional for March 7, 2024

“Do It Anyway”
by Julie Hart, Director of Connectional Ministries

“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

It was November of 2004. My whole entire world had just been flipped upside-down and turned inside-out. My “perfect life” was suddenly not so perfect. I can remember holding my sweet 4-year-old boy in my arms and dancing with him around the kitchen to the Martina McBride song “Do it Anyway.” I held him close to me so he couldn’t see the tears streaming down my cheeks. My voice trembled as I sang along “You can love someone with all your heart for all the right reasons; In a moment they can choose to walk away. Love ’em anyway.”

I had just spent the last decade of my life loving and building a life with a man who had broken our vows and shattered my heart. I was devastated. I can remember listening to the words of the song differently that night. “Love ‘em anyway?”, I thought. Would I really have loved him if I had known that this is the way it would end? I thought about this as I danced with my sweet boy in my arms. About that time, my older son (then 8-years-old) came into the kitchen to join in the dancing. The three of us danced around the kitchen with that song on repeat until the tears that I was fighting back turned into laughter that none of us could keep inside.

That was the answer to my question. Yes, of course I would love their dad anyway, even if I had known it would end up like this. If I hadn’t loved their father, I would never have been given the chance to love them. And I love those boys (now men) more than anything on this earth. I thank God for giving me the chance to love their dad. And I am thankful that God’s answer to my prayers for healing didn’t look the way I thought it should have way back then. God took my heartache and turned it into laughter; took my brokenness and made me whole again. I would not be the person that I am today if I hadn’t experienced that pain. So yes, I would do it all over again anyway.

You may not be familiar with the song, but you have probably read the poem that the song is based on. It has been credited to Mother Theresa, but it was actually written by a man named Kent Keith who was only 19 years old at the time. I invite you to read this poem as a prayer today and think about how God might be calling you to respond. Who do you need to forgive? What do you need to build? Who do you need to show love to?

DO IT ANYWAY

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and truthful,
people may deceive you.
Be honest and truthful anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

You see,
in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them anyway.

Here is a link to listen to the song:  https://youtu.be/6uLtyzRgmyI?si=m9vqFTcR0qovH3W3