“His Way”

I was out doing my morning walk in the neighborhood and listening to some “smooth jazz” on my ear buds last week. A short while into the exercise routine, a familiar tune began playing. It was one of my favorites, from one of my favorite jazz singers, “Old Blue Eyes”, Frank Sinatra. His rendition of “My Way”, one of his signature songs, brought back many memories that day.

For you non-Sinatra fans, the song tells the story of a man whose life is near its end and he’s recalling many aspects of his life. The emphasis is that in every major and minor experience of his life, he states, “…I did it my way”. He’s a bit verbose and self-indulgent about his accomplishments, as well as his failures, although he claims to have “a few regrets.” He was a man who wasn’t shy and didn’t kneel or bow to others. He truly said the things he felt needed to be said. Above all else, he emphasized, “…I did it MY way”. In essence, Frank’s song was about a man looking back on how he ran his race of life in only one way, his way.

The more I listened and concentrated a bit more on the lyrics, I couldn’t help but be concerned about this fictitious man who didn’t seem to have a connection with God. For the ballad reflects a man at the end of his life with nothing to be joyful about other than he felt in total control of his life, whether in love, laughter, tears, triumphs or disappointments, he was in control. And his whole life’s experience was now somehow amusing to him, regretfully with only one person to blame, himself.

After the song finished and as I kept walking, I actually started feeling sorry for this fictional man. It made me wonder if he was not a fictional man at all, but perhaps someone the songwriter (Paul Anka) knew in his life, or that of the original composers Jacques Revaux and Gilles Thibault from France, when it was titled “As Usual” in the mid-1960s. A man who felt alone, unloved, isolated from family, former friends or a lover. But now it was too late to go back and reconcile. His life was over.

Perhaps if this man had turned to God somewhere earlier in his life, he would have learned about God’s will or “His Way” for conducting his life. Isaiah 55:8 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways, declares the Lord.”

His joy of being in love with Jesus and following His way would have brought him a much more fulfilling life and enabling him to find peace in his soul as his life’s final curtain drew near. Throughout the rollercoaster ride of life, Jesus would have been strapped into the car right beside him as they dove down into the valleys and crested the peaks of “what life is all about”. The man could have found a better way, God’s way, “His Way” to follow the righteous, narrow path leading to the narrow gate where only a few will pass into God’s kingdom for all eternity.

When my Dad passed away several years ago, my family had Frank’s “My Way” song played at my father’s funeral. It was played as a tribute to the strength my father displayed in how he conducted himself and cared for his family throughout his adult life. He never picked a fight, but he never backed down from one either, especially if it involved being steadfast in his beliefs for a righteous cause or defending a woman. But most of all, my father followed God’s will and God’s Way to the best of his abilities to do the right thing regardless of other people’s opinions. He was humble in that he didn’t boast of his talents or accomplishments, nor did I see him cry more than a couple times. He was “old school” where a man’s word was his bond and a handshake was as good as a written contract. I loved that man and am eternally grateful for all he taught me about life and caring for my family too.

I pray that you will remember the lyrics from Frank’s song and use them to transform your heart and soul in the opposite way by saying, “I did it His way” to reflect a new path for your life as a follower of Jesus Christ that will lead to your eternal home in heaven.

Live, Learn, Love, and Grow in Jesus!!

Blessings,

Jerry