I like good music. Now I know sometimes my definition of good music might be different from other people’s definition of it. But usually whether it’s working on a project, playing a video game, or simply driving down the highway, I enjoy listening to music while I’m doing an activity. One of my favorite artists is John Mayer. I’ve been listening to him for nearly a decade now. I have all his albums…well all his studio albums. This includes his newest album “Paradise Valley” which I picked up today.
One of the reasons I like him is because he’s a really good songwriter and there’s usually a couple of songs on each album that I can relate to my life. I think the best songwriters capture that. Those aspects that each of our lives have that we live. Whether it is the good times or the bad times, songs can tell a story and sometimes that story intersects with our own stories.
One of my favorite Mayer songs is from his album “Continuum” That song was “In Repair”. The chorus to that song was this:
Oh, it’s taking so long
I could be wrong, I could be ready
Oh but if I take my heart’s advice
I should assume it’s still unsteady
I am in repair, I am in repair
Then the refrain at the end of the song goes like this:
I’m in repair
I’m not together but I’m getting there
I think that refrain is perfect for the life of a Christian (I know Mayer was not writing from that perspective but I think it can be taken that way). I’m not perfect. I am a sinner saved by grace. God is still working in my life to make me better. I am not who I used to be but I am not who I am going to be. I am in repair and God is working on me as I follow after Him.
No matter where we are on our journey, there is music that speaks to where we are. The cool thing is that God can speak through music to share and grow you. It’s just like anything else, you have to be open and willing to listen.
There and Back Again: My Journey 
I too resonate with good music and songwriting. I have never followed Mayer as an artist, but the few songs I’ve heard on the radio by him, I have really appreciated. I do, however, adore that refrain you mention here and the imagery he uses of being in repair and how that relates to the work of God in a life. All the yeses to this. All of them!