Unimaginable

If you see him in the street, walking by himself
Talking to himself, have pity…
He is working through the unimaginable

This weekend, I had the great pleasure of going to see Hamilton the musical. I didn’t know much about it before I went, but I ended up LOVING it! Then my friend introduced me to the mixtape with Kelly Clarkson’s version of It’s Quiet Uptown. I’ve had that song on repeat for the last  48 hours. It’s beautiful, and it has even more beautiful lyrics.

I’ll set the scene in the musical and then progress to my own ideas and thoughts on this amazing song. (PLEASE listen to it!)

Alexander Hamilton was an orphan who became an outstanding writer during the beginning of our country. Later on, he gets married, cheats on his wife, she leaves, then his son is shot and killed in a duel. That’s the short summary, and it probably doesn’t hit your heart very much. Truly, this song isn’t about him. It’s about you and me.

I grew up looking at others and comparing myself with them. I still struggle with it at least a zillion times a day. It’s a serious problem. I look at their clothes, their hair, their car, their kids and say, “I wish I could be that beautiful, that skinny, that tall, that ______.” OR, “I’m glad I’m not that person. She didn’t even want to get dressed today and wore her pajamas to the grocery store,” or, “Her kids are crazy! I’m glad I’m not that mom.” You get the drift. I’m stuck in a comparison trap. I’m either better or worse than everyone else. It makes me cringe thinking how bad I used to be about judging others. I’m still working on it, but I know I’ve come a long way from where I was. (Thank you, Jesus!) I’m deeply sorry if I ever judged you. Listening to this song gives me a new outlook on people.

When we judge, we don’t know her story. We don’t know his either. Have pity. They may be going through the unimaginable.

I’ve known people who have lost children, and their hearts are completely broken. I have seen how divorce can wreck a family, and their worlds are completely shattered. I’ve heard stories of men who’ve seen more in combat than in my worst nightmare, and they are living in a world they no longer can relate to.  I’ve grown up with a dad who was bipolar, and I see how each day he struggles just to find normalcy and happiness. I’ve read about people who have been kidnapped, seduced, abused, raped, sex trafficked, and used as a slave,  and  their lives will never be the same.

There are moments that the words don’t reach
There’s a grace too powerful to name
We push away what we can never understand
We push away the unimaginable

Don’t push it away. Have pity. You don’t know the story of the person standing behind you in line at Target or Wal-Mart or anywhere in between. Their world may be unimaginable, and all they need is a smile and some love. I don’t know about you, but I want to provide that smile for them, not a dirty look or a word behind their back.

Alexander Hamilton loses everything he knows is important. His wife and his son. He moves uptown. It’s quiet uptown. He never liked the quiet before. Now all of a sudden, he is working through something most of us can’t imagine. He grieves for his son, and he tells his wife he’d like another chance. In this world, people don’t think to give someone a second chance after they’ve been so wrongly hurt.

Forgiveness, can you imagine?

I’ll say it again for effect.

Forgiveness, can you imagine?

What would this world be like if we started to forgive others instead of hold bitterness and hatred in our hearts? What would our families look like? Our jobs? Our friendships? Our marriages? Who do you need to forgive today? I know it’s unimaginable, but maybe, just maybe, it’s worth it. Let’s grow a world where people love and forgive and restore relationship with others instead of break it.

If you see him in the street, walking by her side
Talking by her side, have pity…
He is trying to do the unimaginable

Let’s all try to do the unimaginable.

God can do the unimaginable.