Paul felt sorry for his friend’s son Julian. Paul’s friend, John, had left his wife for another woman, which Julian took really hard. To offer comfort, Paul wrote the boy a song.
To conceal Julian’s identity, Paul changed his name to “Jude” for the song, which he released on this date – August 26, 1968. Hey Jude sat #1 on the charts for a record nine weeks. Paul (McCartney) would never write a more famous song. And Julian’s dad John (Lennon) was appreciative for the comfort it brought his boy.
The song begins, “Hey Jude, don’t make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better.”
God is in the songwriting business. He takes our sad songs and makes them better. I know from personal experience. He took my trauma, abuse, and isolation, and turned it all for good. By exposing my secrets, he healed my pain. By answering my cries in the night, he shed light on the darkest corners of my heart.
The Bible says it even better than Paul McCartney. “What the enemy means for evil, God turns to good” (Genesis 50:20).
So go ahead. Give it a try. Sing your sad song to God and let him make it better.
Recovery Step: We’ve all sung sad songs in our past. Healing comes, not when you change the song, but when you change the audience. Sing to God, then wait. Healing comes in the mourning.
