But, Thou...

On a recent thrifting trip, I was lucky enough to find this old hymnal titled "Book of Worship for US Forces."  Naturally, I had to have it--God and country?  Yes, please! It was printed in 1974, and though my brain says that was just a few years ago, it has a great vintage feel to it.  As I was paging through the hymnal, my eyes landed on this song that I had never heard of before--certainly not in the top 10 hymns of all time!

The song is called "Where Restless Crowds Are Thronging."  It goes like this:

Where restless crowds are thronging along the city ways,

Where pride and greed and turmoil consume the fevered days,

Where vain ambitions banish all thoughts of praise and prayer,

The people's spirits waver, But thou, O Christ, art there.

There are two more verses, but you get the idea.

It so resonated with me.  The very human condition.  We are restless, ambitious; full of pride and greed.  And, yet, He reaches out to separate us from that which will surely mean our death.  As I pondered the words of the song, the idea to journal it came about.  I was thinking specifically about the words that are spoken over us and how we repeat them.  I started thinking about the youth of today and the impact of social media on their development.  It reminded me of the song, American Noise by Skillet.

"Angry words and honking cars

Satellites and falling stars

Distant dark blue radios that whisper down my boulevards

Ghosts and chains rattle in the attic

Broken headphones filled with static

Lonely room you've got nowhere to run"

But thou, O Christ, art there!!  Praise His steadfast and holy name!!  We can turn off the noise and find peace in Him.  The author and perfecter of our faith!  He cares about the noise and offers us a way out--how awesome is that?

Because I was dwelling on all of the beautiful teen girls I know who are struggling with the noise and seeking the way out, I had to use the brand new Walk Humbly set from Sweet N Sassy stamps.  This set was designed by team member, Colleen Gaddie and it is adorable!!  It is such a versatile set; for sure a must have!

Do you not just love those images?  I have so many ideas for this one little set--I need a month of solitude and stamping!! As if--right?  My hymnal page also uses stamps from Forever and Always and the Typewriter Blocks Alphabet.  Please be aware that when I link in my post to the actual stamp set, these are affiliate links.  When you shop using these links, I earn a small commission, and appreciate your support!

Here's a super quick and simple card also featuring Walk Humbly and His Love--just a scrap of some gelli printed paper and a few quick images/sentiments.  Ya'll we don't have to be super complicated, layered up and color with highlights!!  It's still a paper hug :)

And.....you are beautiful!  Have a great day and leave the noise for His peace.

Amen.  In Him, Jane