SONG #11: Rich Mullins - If I Stand

Inducted on January 6, 2013

Okay. We're getting serious now. This song is potentially my most favorite song ever, and it's definitely in my top 5. The funny thing is that, except for the beautiful piano part, there aren't many things about this that I would normally like. It's virtually stripped down for most of the song, with very little instrumentation and it sounds like Mullins is singing in empty classroom somewhere. But the lyrics.. oh the lyrics.. In a day and age when Christian music was often about proudly and boldly standing for Jesus, in the song Mullins questioned whether he could even stand at all. It's his honesty that drew me in, as I struggled constantly to be the person I knew Christ wanted me to be. The line "And if I weep, let me weep as a man who is longing for his home" put into words a feeling I frequently wrestled with as a teenager. I found myself just wanting to be in heaven. I didn't (necessarily) want to end my life, but I just wanted to be with God.. That feeling actually grows stronger as I grow older.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE the music too. I really do. I love the piano, and in this case it's minimalist approach is actually beneficial. Rich Mullins sadly died in a car crash, but his legacy continues, and I hope maybe my kids find the truth and beauty of this song as well.