Just As I am

Just as I am, though tossed about

with many a conflict, many a doubt, …

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;

sight, riches, healing of the mind,

yea, all I need in thee to find

These are some of the verses of popular Christian hymn “Just As I Am.”

Across Tennessee, in Christian congregations large and small, rural and urban, it’s likely this song is being sung on Sunday morning.

The lyrics suggest an individual in crisis — perhaps a believer in need of guidance, or a lost soul facing spiritual or physical pain. The person is crying out for relief, offering nothing but to come forth “Just As I Am.”

It’s very likely that most of Tennessee’s 132 elected legislators are familiar with this hymn. All but three of them list a Christian religious affiliation on their legislative websites and of those, a vast majority are Protestant.

So, it’s also quite likely that on a given Sunday, a Tennessee legislator is sitting or standing in church, singing with his or her fellow parishioners, extolling the grace of a God who takes those seeking “just as they are.” It certainly wouldn’t be unusual for prayers to be offered for congregants who are sick or suffering in some way. Surely, the words of Just As I Am offer comfort — a reassurance that no matter what, there is hope.

It’s puzzling, then, that some 300,000 Tennesseans remain without the access to affordable health care…