Danny ChaiAnother Rich Mullins song that is dear to my heart, Growing Young (username: guest, passwd: [my wife’s maiden name]) that no one will read through.
Growing Young
Rich Mullins and Beaker
I’ve gone so far from my home
I’ve seen the world and I have known
So many secrets
I wish now I did not know
‘Cause they have crept into my heart
They have left it cold and dark
And bleeding,
Bleeding and falling apart
And everybody used to tell me big boys don’t cry
Well I’ve been around enough to know that that was the lie
That held back the tears in the eyes of a thousand prodigal sons
Well we are children no more, we have sinned and grown old
And our Father still waits and He watches down the road
To see the crying boys come running back to His arms
And be growing young
Growing young
I’ve seen silver turn to dross
Seen the very best there ever was
And I’ll tell you, it ain’t worth what it costs
And I remember my father’s house
What I wouldn’t give right now
Just to see him and hear him tell me that he loves me so much
And everybody used to tell me big boys don’t cry
Well I’ve been around enough to know that that was the lie
That held back the tears in the eyes of a thousand prodigal sons
Well we are children no more, we have sinned and grown old
And our Father still waits and He watches down the road
To see the crying boys come running back to His arms
And when I thought that I was all alone
It was your voice I heard calling me back home
And I wonder now Lord
What it was that made me wait so long
And what kept You waiting for me all that time
Was Your love stronger than my foolish pride
Will You take me back now, take me back and let me be Your child
‘Cause I’ve been broken now, I’ve been saved
I’ve learned to cry, and I’ve learned how to pray
And I’m learning, I’m learning even I can be changed
And everybody used to tell me big boys don’t cry
Well I’ve been around enough to know that that was the lie
That held back the tears in the eyes of a thousand prodigal sons
Well we are children no more, we have sinned and grown old
And our Father still waits and He watches down the road
To see the crying boys come running back to His arms
And be growing young
Growing young
Growing young
This song regularly reduces me to tears. I’m not totally sure what it is. Partly, the way it gives the perspective of the prodigal son story. It’s one of the most amazing stories in Scripture. The truth is, we’re all prodigal sons, every one of us. For me personally, I always go through cyclic periods in my life where I deeply resonate with the story.
I think that at every single stage of my life, I go through a period of confusion where I see what everyone else in my life stage is coveting and pursuing and I find myself desiring the same things and getting jealous of those who have it. It always takes me some time to refind my joy, usually after a cynical time. Happened in high school, happened in college, and I’m realizing I’m coming out of a similar time now, post college. I think I’m just starting to remember again, in my heart, not just my mind, that the things of this world – money, power, fame – don’t offer much. Even people who have it and seem to be happy are missing out on so much more. And it’s a really sweet realization.
So anyway, in a sense, the prodigal son story is a recurring theme in my life, in terms of heart desire, not just a one time deal, and during the tail ends of those cycles like I think I’m in now, it always gets me right in the gut, in a good way. Even reading these lyrics now, dang, it hits me like a tidal wave. Destroys me.
Another thing I love about the song is the angle it takes on the prodigal son, how spiritual maturity is the exact opposite of worldly maturity. That’s one of those paradoxes that kill me. Wordly maturity calls for us to become increasingly independent. But spiritual maturity calls for us to be increasingly dependent. Like the prodigal son, spiritual restoration requires us to give up our adult independence and go back to being children of our father. It requires us to, in the words of the song, grow young. That’s such a great phrase.
As I get older, I kind of realize how hard that is to do. How do I continue to gain independence from my earthly parents, be my own man, and grow in leading my own family, things I am rightly called to do, and simultaneously give up independence and self-leadership and rely solely on my father? For me at least, I sometimes find the more I do of the first the harder it is to the second. It’s something I’m still learning.
So yeah, it’s crazy how much I relate to the sentiment of this song. Kills me. Definite kleenex song for me.