Abigail Frazier

Dr. Martin Regan

April 23, 2020

A Ray of Light

With the recent spread of COVID-19, society as we know it has completely transformed.

This change, caused by a highly infectious virus, is taking a devastating toll on the world by

taking the lives and jobs of many. It has isolated us in our homes, away from our friends and the

“normal” life we knew prior. In the midst of this global pandemic, we are in dire need of hope

and encouragement to help us persevere through.

This past Easter, on April 12 at 3 pm, Lauren Daigle, Grammy award winning

Christian songwriter and singer, collaborated with a dozen of her band members to put on a

Youtube streamed performance. They joined together via Zoom to perform her song, “Still

Rolling Stones'' ,from her hit album “Look Up Child”. This performance is a “social distancing

version” of the song and included all of the artists recording themselves from their homes or

personal studios. Additionally, it is an incredible and moving performance that highlights the

contribution of each band member through their own recorded box on Zoom. For example, you

are able to see both electric guitarists, the pianist, both drummers, the men playing the tuba,

trombone, and trumpet, the background singers, the D.J., and Lauren singing on a microphone

from her home. Despite the casual setting and the fact that they are not physically together to

perform, each artist is performing to their full potential, creating a remarkably powerful

ensemble. The hit Christain song they perform, “Still Rolling Stones'', is beautifully sung by

Lauren and represents an valuable message that can be useful during this time. The lyrics were
appropriate for Easter because they are interpreted to be about the way Jesus came to Earth as a

sacrifice to die on the cross for our sins, experiencing a cruel, painful, and tragic death, because

he loves us. When singing , “you’re still rolling stones'', she is referring to when Jesus

resurrected from the dead and rolled away the stones of the tomb he was in, which is what

occurred on Easter and is why we celebrate Easter. The lyrics of the song are also significant to

this time of struggle and uncertainty, by offering powerful words of good news to those who are

feeling lost and hopeless. When she sings “Out of the Shadows”, it can be interpreted as all the

things we may think we have lossed or are gone, which can be revived and made new through

Jesus. Furthermore, her lyrics, “Six feet under..I thought it was over...I thought that I was too far

gone”, offer a powerful testimony of her life before she accepted Christ. She is conveying and

singing on behalf of her story, that no matter how lost, sad, or empty you feel, if you choose to

accept and believe in Jesus, He can save and restore your life. The song also reveals that God’s

love for everyone is unconditional, no matter who you are, what you look like, or what you have

done, and He is offering the gift of eternal life to anyone who surrenders their life to Him.

I think that this performance was very well done and moving, while projecting a powerful

message as well. I think it encouraged its viewers, which is everyone watching from their homes,

because it also demonstrated that you can still perform to your full potential and do great things

even when social distancing. In my opinion, Lauren Daigle is also someone that can effectively

speak and empathize with her audience because of all the hardships she has faced. As an

adolescent, Lauren experienced something very similar to the isolation we are going through

right now. During her teenage years, Lauren’s life changed when she was infected with a virus

called cytomegalovirus that caused her immune system to be very weak, forcing her to leave

school and stay at home for about two years. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard that was
for her, especially considering she went through it alone while the rest of the world carried on

with their lives. However, during her time in isolation was when she was able to come in touch

with her talent to sing. To keep her occupied, her mother signed her up for singing lessons and

Lauren discovered her love and talent for singing and songwriting. Her ability to take a

potentially negative experience and make something positive from it, was the start of her career

as a singer that changed her life. I think her story and the message she projects through her songs

can be encouraging to many. Currently, society is facing numerous obstacles that we were not

prepared for and are learning to adjust to. Due to these major life adjustments, people,

businesses, and the economy are all suffering, and the nation as a whole needs hope if we are

going to fight and restore our losses. Not only does Lauren Daigle’s performance and all the

many other music artists who are performing through online streaming support social distancing,

but they are sending hope and light to homes that need it. The songs Lauren sings are inspired by

the new life that she received when she accepted Jesus as her Savior and surrendered her old life

and ways to Him. He restored her life and made her a new person and she sings joyfully because

of it. She wants to reach her audience by sharing that they too can be saved if they choose to

accept and believe in Jesus Christ.