I went to see Switchfoot Friday night at Ottawa’s Cityfolk festival. I was struck by the lasting power of their lyrics and the band’s ability to speak hope into a hurting world.

I’m not sure how many times I have seen Switchfoot since they first began their rise at the tail end of the last century. At least half a dozen shows. They are one of the few bands that for me is an automatic. I will buy the concert ticket, and the album, no matter what. Their lyrics speak to me like few others do.

I didn’t take any videos on Friday – I was just enjoying the moment. I’m sure someone will post some soon, but in the meantime I’m sharing a video someone posted from a show earlier this year.

“This is Your Life” was written about 25 years ago, when vocalist/songwriter Jon Foreman was in his early 20s. It was a song of hope, about bridging from youth to adulthood.

Today Foreman is just days shy of turning 50. Yet the lyrics still hold up. The song has perhaps even more power when sung by someone who is definitely middle aged.

We look back, as humans do – but even more adults understand the need to live in the moment. .None of us knows the numbers of the days of our lives. We can’t live in the past, or in a future that hasn’t happened yet. We need to understand the present.

It was a great set full of thought-provoking songs. But what haunted me most was that line: “Are you who you want to be?”

That’s something we should all ask our selves from time to time. And if the answer is no, we need to figure out what needs to be done to make that a yes.

Switchfoot – This Is Your Life

Yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead
Yesterday is a promise that you’ve broken
Don’t close your eyes, don’t close your eyes
This is your life and today is all you’ve got now
And today is all you’ll ever have
Don’t close your eyes
Don’t close your eyes

[Chorus]
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be?
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose

[Verse 2]
Yesterday is a kid in the corner
Yesterday is dead and over

[Chorus]
And this is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be?
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose

[Bridge]
Don’t close your eyes
Don’t close your eyes
Don’t close your eyes (Don’t close your eyes)
Don’t close your eyes

[Chorus]
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, are you who you want to be? Yeah!
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
(Who you want to be, yeah)
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be?
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose