A Song for Mother’s Day

Since I’ve given Steven Curtis Chapman so much free publicity on this blog recently, what’s a little more? Last week, I shared with you a song that I hope you (and perhaps a younger person you know) found uplifting, “Fingerprints of God.” This week, as Mother’s Day approaches, it feels quite appropriate to highlight his song “One Heartbeat at a Time” from his 2007 album This Moment. It’s not one of his better-known songs, but it ought to be! Even though it’s addressed to mothers, it was an encouragement to me during one of the many weeks last year when my wife was halfway across the country, tending to her critically ill father. During those weeks, while I was trying to juggle being a full-time pastor and also a full-time dad, the lyrics became even more real to me. Here’s some of what Steven sings:

You’re up all night with a screaming baby
You run all day at the speed of life
And every day you feel a little bit less
Like the beautiful woman you are

So you fall into bed when you run out of hours
And you wonder if anything worth doing got done
Oh, maybe you just don’t know
Or maybe you’ve forgotten

You, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch
And every smile

Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time

With every, “I know you can do it”
And every tear that you kiss away
So many little things that seem to go unnoticed
They’re just like the drops of rain, over time they become a river

And you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time

During those hard weeks, one of the lines I particularly identified with says, “And you wonder if anything worth doing got done.” The song reminds us that even the little, seemingly routine things have, potentially, incredible value. So for you moms (and dads) who are feeling weary lately – or perhaps perpetually – I hope this song warms your soul. You can listen to it here.