Almost fifty years ago, Frank Sinatra released “My Way.” It’s a song as familiar as any national anthem, the opening lines stamped into our cultural consciousness: “And now, the end is near; and so, I face the final curtain...” The song started life as a rather gloomy number called “Comme d’Habitude” (As Usual) by French singer Claude Francois in 1967 about the end of a love affair. Singer Paul Anka, while not fond of the song, felt there was something different in it and acquired the rights for free.
Back in New York, Anka couldn’t find the inspiration he needed to make something of the tune. Until one day, he received a phone call from Frank Sinatra. The pair went out to dinner and Frank dropped a bombshell. Sinatra said, “I’m quitting the business. I’m sick of it, I’m getting the hell out.” This was all the motivation Anka need to write and he knew only Sinatra would have the swagger necessary to give the song its full power. Only Sinatra had the moral authority to deliver the line: “The record shows I took the blows and did it my way.”[1] Did you know this is the #1 requested karaoke song in the world and it is a very popular funeral song.
Can you hear the King of Assyria singing this tune as he triumphed over Judah? It was God who sent the Assyrians to teach the Israelites a lesson and they overstepped their bounds by acting selfishly and ignoring God’s will. Does this sound familiar?
Perhaps God is warning us about the proper use of the gifts He has given us. We can often lose track of knowing where our talents come from and believing God has nothing to do with our successes. When we misuse the power and gifts God gives us, we can expect trouble. I’ve recruited and worked with a variety of leaders in my careers in the military, not-for-profits and even in ministry. The single biggest challenge for many of these leaders is they say and believe, “By my own power I have done it…” (Is 10:13) they are singing, “I did it my way.” We leaders sometimes forget where our power, gifts and wisdom truly come.
Jesus uses children as an example of a great disciple. Think of the wisdom questions that often come from a young child. Questions that stump and defy understanding of those considered to be wise. Jesus is pointing out that great faith depends on seeing God as the source of all things.
God is teaching us to embrace our life’s mission with childlike innocence and obedience. God’s help and power are always there, if we simply follow His will and remember He is the giver of all good gifts. Let us pray to be an authentic child of God and do it God's way.
[1] EXPRESS, “My Way: The story
behind the song.” https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/91687/My-way-The-story-behind-the-song
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