"Move (Keep Walkin')"

TobyMac performing "Move (Keep Walkin')" for his Hits Deep Tour 2018 in El Paso, TX, which I attended. TobyMac is in front, with his microphone, while he and other members of the DiverseCity band are walking across the stage during the chorus of the song.

Some of you may recognize the title of this piece to also be the name of a song: “Move (Keep Walkin’)” by TobyMac. If you don’t recognize the song, I definitely recommend listening to it. In fact, here's link to the song.

Personally, this song brings me back many memories. During one memory, I was about eight years old and near the airfield at Fort Leavenworth. We were taking part in an Adventure Race - an orienteering sorta thing. It was hot outside and I was tired; I really wanted to be done with it. As my dad came running up from collecting a point, these words blared from his phone speaker:

I know your heart been broke again

I know your prayers ain't been answered yet

I know you're feeling like you got nothing left

Well, lift your head, it ain't over yet, ain't over yet so

Move, keep walkin' soldier keep movin' on

Move, keep walkin' until the mornin' comes

Move, keep walkin' soldier keep movin' on

And lift your head, it ain't over yet, ain't over yet

And, let me tell you, it felt like those words were being spoken to me. Keep moving - this isn’t over yet. Since that first - almost insignificant - time, those words have reached me through every struggle. Moving, leaving behind friends, my dad leaving over and over again. I’ll listen to those words, absorb them, connect with them, use them in my life. Those words - they're meant for me.

Yet, I’m not the only one who’s experienced something that brought me down. I guarantee that every single one of you reading this has been torn down countless times, struggling through points of life. Your life has been ripped apart over and over again, your pleas lost to the world; it seems there’s nothing left. But, let me tell you, along with this song: keep walking - keep holding on - it isn’t over yet.

Hold on, hold on

Lord ain't finished yet

Hold on, hold on

He'll get you through this

Hold on, hold on

These are the promises

I never will forget

I never will forget

Keep holding on, keep pushing forward. You’re not beaten yet. There’s still fight in you. And, don’t ignore others in your life - others willing to fight with you. You aren’t alone. “I can hold your hand, but I can't turn your eyes to freedom.” During your struggles, find and accept help. Don’t turn away from someone who cares, don’t resist their efforts. They can guide you, but you need to actually follow them.

Life is a battlefield, find your comrades, and don’t give up after the first shot.