Fast Forward

One of my friends sent this in.  I thought it was excellent!!!

When I was in elementary school, I attended an after-school program at the church. I would count down the minutes until 5 p.m. when my mother would pick me up. I’d rush to the car, toss in my bag, put on the seatbelt, and dig through the plastic container in front of me.

In it were tons of cassette tapes. Okay, maybe not tons. But at 10 years old, it seemed as if there was every tape imaginable at my fingertips.

I had a couple favorites—Matchbox Twenty’s Yourself or Someone Like You, Eve 6’s self-titled first release. But my favorite tape to pop in on the ride home was U2’s The Joshua Tree. I’d remove it from its case, flip to side B, and push the fast forward button as quickly as possible.

I’d stop and start until I got to that familiar intro I knew all too well…drums and harmonica.
When the song was over, I’d push the rewind button and play it again. And again. And again.

My mother was probably sick of that song. But she let me do this five days a week for as long as I could remember.

Now we all know The Joshua Tree is one of the greatest albums of all time. And after the recent announcement of U2’s return to Kansas City almost 16 years after their last visit, how appropriate it was for me to play the album on repeat on Spotify.

I double-clicked on track 8, and that familiar intro began. But then I did something different. I scrolled up and double-clicked “Where the Streets Have No Name,” the first song on the album.

And listed to the album straight through. Eight times in a row.

In life, we are constantly pushing the fast-forward button. When you're in high school, you can't wait until college. And in college, you can't wait to start your career. If you're single, you can't wait to be in a relationship. If you're dating, you can't wait to get engaged. And the list goes on and on.

So slow down and enjoy the life God has given you. Don't skip ahead to the “good parts.” You never know what gem you might find on that album if you listen from start to finish.

Jacob’s Ladder