Sound Travels

It took me by surprise, and, quite frankly, it took my breath away.

I never expected to hear such a beautiful sound while pumping gas into my car at the local Wal-mart station. But that’s where it happened.  I had just paid the attendant and returned to my car to start filling up. Within seconds, I heard a voice behind me singing.

The voice was strong but tender, resolute but unassuming. I turned to see who it was. It was the attendant.  She had stepped outside the tiny cashier building and was sweeping the area around it. While she swept, she sang. She wasn’t concerned about who was listening or what people might think about her.  She just sang. That kind of freedom and simple joy was beautiful.  But more than just her singing amazed me. It was what she was singing. 

The song was “He’s Been Faithful” by Carol Cymbala, director of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. The chorus says:

He's been faithful, faithful to me

Looking back, His love and mercy I see

Though in my heart I Have questioned

And failed to believe

He's been faithful, faithful to me

Her voice brought me back in time. I smiled, and my eyes watered. If you’ve ever been through a difficult time in your life when you weren’t sure you could make it, that song can speak to your heart. It spoke to mine that day.

I’ve read that sound can travel at 760 miles per hour. I’m so glad her sound traveled to me that day. It was a powerful reminder that a message spoken at just the right time in just the right way can take someone by surprise.  It might even take their breath away.