New Music Friday: So Long by Peter Burton
Some songs are more than music. They have a way of reaching into places in your heart that you don't talk about very often. Peter Burton’s new song, “So Long,” does that for me.
Growing up, I was the runt — the kid who was always picked last when the neighborhood boys chose teams. I struggled with self-worth and confidence, and for a long time, I believed I wasn't worth very much.
As I got older, I tried to make up for what I thought I'd missed. I searched for fulfillment in alcohol, drugs, relationships, and other things that promised happiness but never filled the emptiness inside. There were dark moments when I wondered if life was even worth living, and I cried out to God, asking, “Lord, is this it?”
For years, I carried the weight of my past, my choices, and the shame that came with them. But God had a different plan for my life.
He gave me opportunities to serve my country, love and serve my family, and eventually discover a deeper calling to serve Him. At 52, through a season of change and uncertainty, my relationship with the Lord became personal in a way that changed how I saw myself and my future.
I learned that my identity wasn't determined by the boy who was picked last, the mistakes I'd made, or the shame I'd carried. My identity was found in Jesus Christ.
That's why this song means so much to me. When Peter sings about saying goodbye to guilt, brokenness, shame, and the chains of yesterday, I hear a message that speaks directly to my own journey.
God didn't change my past. He changed my future.
I'm still a work in progress, but I no longer have to live as the man I used to be. Through Christ, I can learn from yesterday without living in it. I can serve my family, encourage others, and share the hope I've found with people who may be fighting battles no one else can see.
Second Corinthians 5:17 reminds us that in Christ, we are a new creation. The old has passed away, and new life has begun.
So when I hear “So Long,” I'm not just hearing a song. I'm hearing a declaration of freedom. I'm saying goodbye to the lies that told me I wasn't enough, to the guilt that tried to define me, and to the belief that my past would always determine my future. I'm saying hello to God's grace, His purpose, and the life He still has for me.
The boy who was picked last discovered that he was never beyond the reach of God's love.
And today, I'm grateful that my story isn't finished.
Thank you, Peter Burton, for a song that reminds me — and hopefully reminds someone else — that because of Jesus, we can leave yesterday where it belongs.
SO LONG, OLD ME. BY GOD'S GRACE, I'M MOVING ON!
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