Christian Viewpoint: 'What we think of God really does determine the trajectory of our lives'
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The most poignant lyric in Bethany Barrie’s first EP, recently released on Spotify, is addressed to her father, who died suddenly when she was 13, writes John Dempster.
She tells him that, 11 years later, she is still healing, still holding back tears when his laugh echoes through her mind. But now Bethany is able to “cherish all the memories” and “thank the Lord for the time he gave us”. She anticipates a heaven where “at the feet of Jesus we’ll dance again”.
Now 24, she’s a gifted, sweet-voiced singer-songwriter with a degree in economic history and politics, currently working in childcare. Bethany married last summer, and now lives in Glasgow, though at heart she’s an Inverness girl; she grew up here.
I asked Bethany about the significance of the EP’s title A Higher Purpose. She tells me the release has a greater purpose than simply getting her name out there. She hopes God will use her songs to encourage people.
She’s convinced her fellow millennials are seeking fulfilment, longing for a “higher purpose”, something much bigger than themselves, something which satisfies.
Bethany simply points them to Jesus.
In For the Sake of It she sings: “There’s a freedom in devotion and a joy beyond the pain, a life of hope and promise only found in Jesus’s name.”
Those words “beyond the pain” are significant, reflecting Bethany’s own experience in moving forward from the brokenness which resulted from her father’s death and her parents’ earlier separation.
Writing and singing these songs is part of her healing process.
She cried out in despair at a low-point in her teens: “God, if you exist, you’ve got to help me out of this.” Her passionate, yearning, joyful lyrics describe her discovery of “a grace that’s so deep and a love that never sleeps”.
This encourages us in our times of pain and despair. Precisely because, after enduring the brokenness of death, Jesus rose from the dead. Christians believe that our brokenness can be a gateway to healing as we come to God in our need.
“When you take Jesus into dark and difficult situations,” says Bethany, “you can’t help but see the beautiful picture of what he promises.”
Christianity is not primarily about ‘rules’ she insists. The rules are pointers “helping us have the best possible life, the most full life”. Christianity is, rather, about a relationship with God. She prays: “Give me a rhythm and I will learn your dance.”
Bethany believes God is challenging us in these stressful days: “Just you trust me, whatever happens.”
And, says this feisty young believer, learning to partner with Jesus in the everyday dance: “What we think of God really does determine the trajectory of our lives.”
