She said, “Life is screaming at me.”

And I thought to myself, “Hmm, I think there’s a song in that.”

Elgielene and I had one of those “long distance romances” you’ve heard about. You know. The kind that never work out.

And during that time, she lived in Florida, where I first met her. And I lived in Colorado. But I had written to her, from different places while I was “on the road” full time, for about 2 years before I settled in Colorado. And then almost another year after my move-in. Yeah, 3 years of failed attempts to win her over.

I’ve shared that saga before. So, I won’t go through all that again. Just know that once she finally responded to one of my letters, we changed over to phone calls. A lot of phone calls. And that was before smartphones and unlimited long distance. So, that means very large phone bills. On the YIKES level.

But that was a price I was willing to pay.

On one phone call she told me how things were hitting her from all sides. That’s when she shared that line about life screaming at her.

Thankfully it wasn’t doomsday kinda talk. Just an explanation for how filled up her schedule was. But that line stuck with me. And that’s how “good ideas” are for a songwriter or poet. They pop up in front of you even without spending any time thinking about them.

But I take that up a notch or three. And I try to make it a purpose of mine. In other words, I keep a sharp ear open to things people say. Internet marketers and copywriting coaches call this “getting in tune with your target market.”

I just call it listening.

And just as “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word,” ideas come by listening.

If you find yourself also saying “life is screaming at me”, maybe you need to tune out a few things and tune in to that “still small voice.” Listen to the voice you can only hear when you trust God and read His book.

Life Is Screaming At Me

Life is screaming at me, “Give me your best shot!
Don’t dream it all away;
You gotta give back what you got!
It’s no big deal to gain the world
‘Cause you can’t take it with you.
But work to keep your soul, and give it your best shot.”

© 1996 Tony Funderburk

(Tune in to the Rhyme and Reason Podcastand you might find the episode with the whole vintage song in it.)

Oh, by the way. 35 years later I guess you could say the long-distance romance worked out.

Now, maybe you don’t know me well enough to buy something from me, yet. Ok, then get to know more about me and my worldview. Join the growing body of believers who’ve signed up for the Tony’s Daily Devotional . And enjoy my daily flashes of light from the power of God’s love.

Stay tuned…