During this entire move to Tennessee, there has been one singer/songwriter who has really reflected my feelings and provided a real soundtrack for what was going on in my life. As the title suggests, that person is Sara Groves. I have loved her for a while, but this move has really allowed me to pay attention to her songs and connect them to what is going on in my head and life. No other artist on my iPod has really done that for me as of yet, and the fact that she is within my voice range makes me extra glad.

In that case, I decided to share some songs of hers that have particularly resonated with me. I hope it will provide a good soundtrack to this move, if not my life to come. As I concern myself with a future as a follower of Christ, citizen of the world, and independant woman, I hope to keep her words near and dear to help me know I am not alone.

This first installment of my little series is about the song “Painting Pictures of Egypt.” This is based on the stories in the Old Testament about the former Israelite slaves’ wanderings in the desert, and how they constantly expressed a desire to go back to bondage in Egypt. Their grumbling made me shocked when I first read about it, and it made me question the accuracy of the Old Testament. Honestly, how would you act like that after seeing God’s glory? However, as I grew up, I realized that this is a purely human reaction that is just as prevlent today as it was in those days. The times we are in now might be quite difficult, and the pleasant memories of the past will likely be fresh in our minds. We are desperate for these times which seemed so good compared to the current hardships. I have seen several of my college friends move home because of this.

As I have been going through this scary transition, I have been thinking back to college and how life was so simple and fun. I do know several close friends who are trying to cling on to college since a life full of bills and full-time jobs is getting hard. However, this is not the attitude we should have. There is a greater promise awaiting us at the end of the desert. We just have to go along with the journey and trust God will get us there. This is the theme of the song, and I hope it resonated with my readers in some way.