The Show Must Go On
I wouldn't ordinarily refer to Freddy Mercury, the deceased lead singer of Queen, as exemplary. And I am still not doing so. I am well aware of his past, the questionable lyrical content of a number of Queen songs (one of the advances of IPod; you need not buy the entire album any longer), and how he died in 1991 of AIDS. But as I have started chemotherapy today in preparation for my stem cell transplant in exactly a week and as I consider the potentially serious, even fatal, side effects, I am drawn to one of the last songs that Freddy Mercury recorded. The song is The Show Must Go which he co-wrote with Brian May. As Mercury sings of his determination to continue to go on despite the pain and sorrow, I am struck with the mix of hope and resignation contained in the lyrics. He knows that much of what he is going through is quite beyond his control, but he will not let it control him. The lyrics express his desire that everything that he finds valuable not collapse at his death; his friends, his bandmates, his work.
The song itself is achingly beautiful, filled with emotion as only a dying man could sing. "I have to find the will to carry on. On with the show. The song must go on," are his final words.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I know that, unlike Freddy Mercury, my survival does not depend on chance or solely on my own will power but on the grace of God. I do not go through this alone. I go with the presence of the living God, the God suffers with His people and upholds them with His right hand. I have witnessed His faithfulness in the lives of His persecuted sons and daughters in countries around the world. I know that the God who is with them is the same God who is with me. And I know that He is more concerned than I am about the future of anything and anyone that I might be called upon to leave behind.
So, on with the show. The show must go on!
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2 comments:
God has instilled a certain tenacity in you that is really quite an inspiration. It's seen in all you do for His people who suffer for His sake, and in the way you've stood tall in the face of cancer. I know you know, but continue to be assured that, along with the abiding presence of your Heavenly Father is a throng of brothers and sisters standing with you in love and prayer. We may not be able to walk into the hospital room physically, but we're always there in heart. Thank you for being candid. We know better how to pray.
Thank you so very much for your kind words. I am greatly encouraged by the prayers that are rising to heaven on our (my family and I) behalf. God bless you
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