My son loves to play the piano. He practices for a couple of hours a day, without ever being told. All of our children are required to take piano lessons beginning at age nine. They must play until we feel that have reached a basic level of understanding, then, they can choose another instrument to learn, or quit. Mitch loves classical music, but we also rely on him to be our standby pianist when our regular virtuoso is out of town.

He has been working hard on learning to play hymns, and yesterday morning, he played one which immediately captured my imagination. It’s amazing how a song can do that! In just a few measures of melody, I was taken back in time to when I was about nine years old. I was in the old church building of Victory Baptist Church in Benton, Arkansas, standing next to my dad. I could smell his cologne and the scent of leather. I could hear voices of my past, joining together in praise to God. The song we often sang was “I Am Resolved”. That’s what Mitch played.

“I am resolved, no longer to linger, charmed by the world’s delight.
Things that higher, things that are nobler, these have allured my sight.
I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free,
Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to thee.”

Of course, I had to come back to reality. (Sometimes I worry that one day I’ll take a “trip back” and never return. At least I’ll be in a good place, if that does happen.) I smiled as my son played, my husband sang on the platform, my girls were next to me – just like I was to my dad – and the voices of the present filled the air as we joined together in praise to God. It’s a beautiful sound, hearing the saints of God sing praise to their Savior. I think it’s a little taste of Heaven on Earth.