Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S; it is holy to the LORD. ~ Leviticus 27:30

You’ll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You’ll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in fields of gold

What is it about the look of flowing fields of grain that make us feel so calm, so serene and peaceful…so content? Is it the fullness of the land or the warmth of the sun flowing down upon it? The way the sun and the wind seem to play over them, creating the illusion of fields alive in motion, pulling us in? Or, something so much deeper within us?

So she took her love
For to gaze awhile
Upon the fields of barley
In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold

Is there ever a more romantic feeling than watching the elements of earth and sky interact and move together in rhythm? It’s the same way many of us feel when gazing at the ocean. All of God’s splendor is revealed in front of us. So much power and beauty, so much more than we are, or could ever hope to be. We feel inspired and yet, somehow insignificant, as it stirs our souls.

Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Among the fields of barley
We’ll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in fields of gold

In the midst of it, here is the key question: will you stay with me? And for how long? In the same world where so many vows are taken and broken and so many relationships are temporary, these great fields and oceans seem forever. How we hope that our loves could be the same. Why is commitment is so hard for us?

See the west wind move like a lover so
Upon the fields of barley
Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth
Among the fields of gold
I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I’ve broken
But I swear in the days still left
We’ll walk in fields of gold

This was a subject much discussed in a recent conversation I had, and I wondered aloud if perhaps we have to go through a certain number of broken commitments, promises and failed relationships to begin to truly value the meaning of forever. Maybe it’s only once we’ve suffered enough, that we can truly give totally of ourselves, with no promise in return. And, speaking of no promise in return, I once heard a very wise man say that if you were thinking of lending money to a friend or family member, you should only do so if you were fine with never getting it back.  Maybe our heart’s commitments to one another should be given in that same spirit. Like our Father in Heaven’s love for us, unconditional and for all time.

Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold
You’ll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in fields of gold

This song has long been one of my favorites by Sting and it seems that it’s one of his – and his wife, Trudy Styler’s – as well. It was actually inspired by the view of the fields of barley that surround his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire in the U.K.. The simplicity of the song just seems to add to it’s rich and lustrous tone, and the lyrics read like something out of a sixteenth century novel. The song takes you on a chronological journey, slowly meandering through the man’s courtship, marriage, life, love and eventually even death.  But through it all, it shows his strong desire to hold on to the commitments he’s made…no matter what.

If only we could all do the same.

Listen to the original here: