The Playlist

So I have a friend….Jimmy Van Bergen or JVB or if you meet him as an adult Jim Van

Bergen. (But I didn’t meet him as an adult so I’m sticking with the first two options…) Anyway, he’s pretty amazing. We’ve known each other since 3^rd grade, and who knew back then as he told stupid joke after stupid joke (that I laughed at) that one day he would be living in New York and be an Emmy award-winning sound designer and producer and I would still get to be his friend? Well, the answer is not me.

To me, he is the goofy redhead, with a sister my sister's age, who sang like an angel, and knew me through the most awkward eras of my life—and despite me not always being kind, or aware, or self-confident, even though there were days I'm as certain as I am I have four children I walked right by him without speaking, he liked me, and still does. Nowadays he is a go to for me when I need reassurance, or a calm, smart, compassionate voice.

Last night he created this Spotify playlist he entitled, “Just Very Katherine.” (Listen Here) He has started creating these playlists for friends. He chooses songs that reflect, that describe,  a person’s life, interests, and personality. He chooses songs he believes tell the person’s story. It's almost like he can see into a person's heart, mind, and soul. Well, this time he didn’t make me cry with his singing, he made me cry with his song choices that tell the story of how he sees me. The adjectives he used in its description are “bubbly, fun, introspective, wicked sense of humor and thoughtful.” We went back and forth a couple of times about the negative ways I see myself and some regrets from my past. I told him I knew I had been a horrible person in highschool. His words as he concluded my list, “By the way, you were never a horrible person. We weren’t our best selves in high school, but the framework was there.

This morning as I listen to the playlist (well, morning into the afternoon since it’s over 5 hours long!) I am thinking about how God sees us all and whether we believe it or argue instead reminding God over and over why we're not enough. Do we listen to the voices in the world who choose to focus on our areas of struggle or do we listen to the voices that rejoice in our growth and transformation? JVB, I’m sure, remembers some of those parts of me that weren’t my best self, but that’s not what he chose to focus on, those aren’t the words he used to be my descriptors. 

Do you argue with God reminding God of the parts of you that are less than ideal? Do you re-live times in your life you’re not proud of, think about mistakes you’ve made, and hide your face in shame? Or, do you remember Psalm 139:14 which acknowledges you are fearfully and wonderfully made because God made you and God made you in God’s image? I know I spend a lot of time doing the former, but today JVB reminded me even when we’re not our best selves, God’s framework remains. God's angels are singing about the glory of God and each and every one of us is part of that glory. God's angels are singing about us.

Thank you JVB, and hey, look, you’re shoes untied!!!! (third-grade joke)

PS I really wish I had a recording of JVB singing "Stairway to Heaven" in the 8th grade.