By Angela W.
In March, I was let go from my position as corporate counsel for a financial services company, which I had held for more than 16 years. I thank God that I just started a new position at a law firm, but for about two months, I was between jobs. And the interesting thing is that I get creative when I'm between jobs.
The first time this happened was back in 2002, when I had a few days off after resigning from my first law firm position and before starting my in-house counsel position. That's when I became pregnant with my first baby (that’s being creative, right?). This time, my second time between jobs, I wrote a song.
I played this song for Ed, and he graciously invited me to share it during Sunday worship (and also provided invaluable help with some rewriting and arrangement). I was hoping to humbly and anonymously slip it into the rotation like he's done with some of his songs – but no, he wanted me to tell you the story behind it. Click here to read Angela's story...)
The song came to me in the early days of my unemployment. I was feeling pretty good at that point in time. My layoff was related to downsizing and had nothing to do with my performance, and I have a strong resume and figured it would be easy for me to find something. But it's still an uncomfortable feeling to go through change, especially when you've been at a place for as long as I had. There were a couple of other things also adding to the feeling of instability. I had just had a minor injury resulting in floaters in one eye, and although my retina checked out fine, the floaters were taking some time to get used to. Also, Craig thought he might have broken his car, which was a bit concerning given our reduced household income. (It turns out he hadn't – it’s a good story and you should ask him about it sometime).
So anyways, I was going through some stress, but it wasn't too bad at the time. One night a song came to me that is about taking comfort in God's presence in the midst of fear. It came to me just as I was getting ready for bed and kept me awake for what seemed like hours, working out all the words and melodic ideas that were coming to me.
I used to write songs many years ago, but I wasn't seeking to honor God back then. Now, after a 20-plus year hiatus, my first song is a worship song, and the process of its creation has gone so much more smoothly than any other song I’ve worked on. I believe the big difference is the Spirit’s presence, along with the time I've spent serving in worship and the years growing as a Christian and taking in Scripture. You will find Gen. 16:13, Ps. 130:1, Ps. 139:5, Matt. 28:30, John 1:5, and 1 John 4:18 in the words of this song.
As the weeks went by, I found this song to be a gift from God to comfort me. As I applied for and didn't hear back regarding jobs that I felt well qualified for, it cut into my confidence. I also had some unusual lab test results that had me rather worried for a few days until I heard from my doctor that everything looked OK. So I had some tough days and found myself singing this song for assurance, and it really ministered to me. I am hoping to soon be able to share this song with a musician friend who is not a believer and who is going through some difficult challenges as a result of his cancer treatment, and I am praying that music will open a door for Craig and me to speak with him about Christ.
But in the meantime, please allow me to share this song, called Here With Me, with you all.