We Are The Reason

Words by David Meece and Dwight Liles,
Music by David Meece

As little children we would dream of Christmas morn

And all the gifts and toys we knew we'd find

But we never realized a baby born one blessed night

Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

CHORUS

And we were the reason that He gave His life

We were the reason that He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give

To show us the reason to live


As the years went by we learned more about gifts

And giving of ourselves and what that means

On a dark and cloudy day a man hung crying in the rain

Because of love, because of love

CHORUS


I finally found the reason for living

It's in giving every part of my heart to Him

In all that I do every word that I say

I'll be giving my all just for Him

For Him

CHORUS

He is my reason to live.



There are very few escapes for a child of alcoholics. Church was the one I chose when I was 12.

I wasn't raised with any religious influences. As a matter of fact, I can clearly recall sitting at the dining table with my dad one night and him talking about the bible.

"It's not bad. Probably one the best science fiction stories I've ever read"

I was about 9 at the time and had just received the little red New Testament bible that the Gideon Assc. used to hand out to school students. (My how times have changed!) It was my first bible, the only bible in our house.

Being the King James version, my little brain didn't get much beyond the 10 commandments listed at the front. It was special though. I kept it in a little wooden box (was it Alberta Rye that came in the wooden boxes with the slide-style lid? Regardless, it was one of those) that I had attached a lock to. That, in turn, was placed under the carefully crafted top layer of dolls and papers in my toy box.

I don't know why I hid it. I just did.

I was about to say that I didn't dig it out often, but that's not true. When my parents were drunk, that little book was under the covers with me, the pillow over my head to muffle the yells and arguing that inevitably woke me up at night. I know I tried to read some to block out the noise but other nights I just clutched it and my teddy bear and hummed some made up tune.

I don't know why I did that, either.

I know that after the New Testament, they had stuck Psalms and Proverbs into the back of the bible. These I could read and made sense to me. I remember talking to God, if not praying, exactly. I'd read something and ask "Why'd you do that, God?" I wasn't expecting an answer, but in this way, I had a friend. An imaginary friend that just happened to be the Lord and King of all creation. He also looked a lot like Casey, from "Mr. Dress Up" but he was taller. And held a note pad that he wrote down all the bad things we people did, in a very Santa Claus kind of way.

When I was 11, I joined a church youth group with my friend K. That I didn't attend Sunday services didn't seem to bother the youth pastor or group leaders. They didn't question me about my faith or my family (which when you're that age, you're whole social existance is dependant on your ability to hide the fact that your parents are drunks).

I'm still grateful to them for that.

So every Friday night was spent in fellowship with kids my age, learning about Christ and christianity. I was given a new bible, one written in 'english', so to speak. To say I devoured it would be an understatement. Saturday through Thursday, it held my prayers and wishes and tears. The times we stayed in battered women's shelters, it came with me. Holidays, sleepovers, wherever, I had it with me.

That bible became the physical manifestation of my faith. While my parents had no objections to my going to youth group and in fact welcomed it, I did not like to talk to them about any of it. How do you tell your mom and dad that the reason you've embraced religion is because they're lousy parents? That you're scared and sad and tired of being so alone?

And that's what it was. Salvation, not for salvation's sake or for love of God or for fear of Hell but for fear of family life.

Not true salvation, as any born again can tell you.

That came at an all-nighter wake-a-thon that my youth group held. It was about 5:00 in the morning and a few of us were sitting out on the steps of the church, hoping the cold fresh air would wake us up. Music had been playing all night and while I could sing along with most of it, I didn't pay too much attention to it. As the sun was starting to rise, this song "We Are the Reason" was playing. It was very clear through the upstairs window and a few of the kids sang along with it.

I listened.

I can't say if it was the setting, the view or the song, but something clicked. For so long, God was my reason for living. So many times I had wanted to run away, or worse, and I always found comfort in His words. This song brought me to tears.

Things have changed.

Obviously.

But.

When I hear this song, I'm taken back to that very moment. The friends and hope that were my life. Sometimes, I miss it. The fellowship. The faith. The joy I found in the christian community.

This song will always represent that for me.


soundtrack:David Meece - "We Are The Reason"