In My Heart, You Will Be

One of my senior choir members wrote and shared the following essay for devos on Friday.  As the seniors prepare to leave their African home I wanted to you get a better understanding of where they are coming from and how to pray for them.  Pray too for those who are staying as underclassman but saying goodbye to longtime friends. It's harder to say goodbye when you don't know if you'll ever live on the same continent/country with those you care about (at the same time) again. 

“Come stop your crying, it’ll be alright. Just take my hand, hold it tight. I will protect you from, all around you. I will be here, don’t you cry.” These are the opening words of one of my favorite songs of all time, You’ll Be in My Heart by Phil Collins, which is featured in Disney’s Tarzan. And now, as I stand before you, soon to be crying if I haven’t already started, these words seem to be directed at me. We are all here celebrating our completion of high school, which means so more than merely receiving a diploma. It means the start of something new (pardon the pun), but it also means a plethora of goodbyes. We will all go our separate ways in roughly 3 hours and may never see each other again. For some, that sounds like a dream come true and for others, like me, it sounds like hell on earth. But the reason we chose this song as our “senior pick” for grad is because it applies directly to our situation and brings an aspect of hope to this otherwise dreary scene. Even if we aren’t together, each and every one of you has a place in my heart, where you will all stay no matter where I go. “Just look over your shoulder, and I’ll be there, always.” Thank you. 


These aren't my kids, but it will give you an idea of the song she is talking about...