What it means to be loved

I just found this song online and am sitting here listening to it with tears pouring down my face. Here are the lyrics:

What it Means to be Loved - Mark Schultz

For five months and eight days my wife and I had waited
Gettin' ready for our baby girl
But when he called the doctor said I need to see you
And could you come in soon
Then something died inside of me to sit with him and hear
The tests that said our baby may not live to be a year
Then turnin' to my wife and he said "what do you wanna do?"
And she said...

I wanna give her the world
I wanna hold her hand
I wanna be her mom for as long as I can
And I wanna live every moment until that day comes
I wanna show her what it means to be loved

So we spent each day, watchin' every minute
And prayin' for our baby girl
And I will not forget the way I felt that moment
When she came into this world
But they took her from the room just
as soon as she was born
And watchin' through a window I could see her holdin' on
When a voice inside me said...

I wanna give her the world
I wanna be her dad
I wanna hold her close for as long as I can
And I wanna live every moment until that day comes
I wanna show her what it means to be loved

I said everyday
we've got to bring her home
she's been out to prove the doctors wrong
Oh and you should see her now
she's as pretty as her mom
And there's a boy at the front door
waiting just to take her to her high school prom...

And he wants to give her the world
Wants to hold her hand
And someday she may get a wedding band
But she's gonna live every moment until that day comes
And we're gonna show her what it means to be loved

Oh yeah (what it means to be loved)

Show her what it means to be loved
What it means to be loved

You can listen to the song here.

Here's the story behind the song in the words of Mark Schultz (to see this as a video instead, go to Mark's webpage and click on "What it means to be loved" - it is pretty much word for word what I'm posting below.)

“What It Means To Be Loved” is a song that basically wrote itself. I just happened to be in the room when God dropped it in my lap. Its genesis was actually from a story that my wife told me about a family that she’d worked with at the hospital.

The mother was expecting a child and was told that tests revealed health issues that meant the baby probably wouldn’t live long after birth.  Although the doctors suggested terminating the pregnancy, the mother decided she would love the child as long as she could.  I took those emotions and that unselfish commitment and poured them into the “What It Means To Be Loved” lyrics.   The song starts out:

For five months eight days
My wife and I had waited
Getting ready for our baby girl
But when he called the doctor said, “I need to see you”
And “Could you come in soon”
Something died inside of me to sit with him and hear
A test had said our baby may not live to be a year
And turning to my wife he said
What do you wanna do
She said…

It was at this point of the song when I was writing it that these words just came spilling out:

I wanna give her the world
I wanna hold her hand
I wanna be her mom for as long as I can
I wanna live every moment, until that day comes
I wanna show her what it means to be loved…

And I knew as soon as I hit this chorus and tears were running down my face that this is one I’m going to be playing for a long time.  It’s the only song that I’ve ever played in concert where it got a standing ovation before the end of the first chorus was over.  

To me, what the song says is that we as Christians are called to love.  If that means loving a baby that’s going to be here for 7 minutes or 70 years, it doesn’t make any difference, you just wrap your arms around them and pour yourself into them.  I love the last bridge going to this:

Well ever since the day
We got to bring her home
She’s been out to prove the doctors wrong
You should see her now
She’s as pretty as her mom
And there’s a boy at the front door waiting just to take her to her high school prom

And he wants to give her the world
Wants to hold her hand

Inspired by this family’s story, my wife continued to look at the implications for our own family.  She said, “Since you’re adopted I think we should adopt kids too.” I said, “Ok that’s fine.”  She said, “I think we should adopt kids maybe with special needs.” And I said, “Ok, that seems like a tall order.” She continued, “Maybe someday we adopt kids with special needs that the doctor only knows they’re going to live for a year or two.”  I responded, “Honey, why would we do that?” And my wife said, “Because before they go to heaven, I want them to know what a great Christmas is like and I want them to know what a great birthday is like and let them know that they were loved well before they get to heaven and realize that love.  I want them to know that they were loved here on earth and celebrate them here.”  

That’s the kind of wife I’m married to.  These are the kinds of songs that come out of those stories.  It’s a special song and I’m grateful for all the people who’ve walked through loving unconditionally.  I hope the song means as much to folks as it does to me.

This song already means a lot to me and I've only heard it through once. I'm already showing my little girl(s) what it means to be loved, and I will continue to do that as long as I have breath...