Simple Man

Isaiah 41:10 Don’t fear, because I am with you; don’t be afraid, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, I will surely help you; I will hold you with my righteous strong hand.

One of my favorite songs is “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. I think it means so much to me because it’s a summary of several conversations I had with my mom as a young man.

In the song, it goes over a number of things that the mother has found through experience will lend themselves to a happy and productive life for her son. It talks about not living life too fast so that you can appreciate each day.  She tells him to find love and not to focus on riches because what he truly needs is within him, in his soul.  Throughout the song, she tells him to just be simple, “something you love and understand”.  The one thing I take from the song is the reminder that there is someone above.

If you are familiar with this band at all, you’ll know this southern rock and roll band is filled with members whose lives are chronicled to be filled with alcohol, drugs and women. Yet, from them we have this reminder. There IS someone up above, and if you listen to the song, you can probably hear a mother talking to her son, maybe a conversation one of them had with their own mother.

I’m not going to judge their choices or their lives – I have enough to carry regarding my own – but I will say that when I hear the song, it reminds me of a time when Mom was trying to help me make the right choices in my life.  It grounds me to where I came from and what’s truly important in my life.   I’m sure if you look back, you can find a reminder in your life to bring you back to where you’re suppose to be.  “Father God, help me each day to remember You have never left me, You’re always there. Amen”