Here of late I’ve been listening to quite a few songs on YouTube as I prepare for different concerts and festivals. Some I run into by accident on my way to or from another song, especially when I activate that automatic-play-the-next-song feature. What I notice about many of our American songwriters old and young, and even myself is that we love to rhyme words and phrases. I find this to be so much fun even sometimes when it doesn’t make sense. J When I was a daycare worker for children this was especially fun when the children could not be fooled and they would catch the foolery in the rhyme. Opportunities to teach and learn new concepts would abound during those fun times. Hmmm.
Well, while trying to meditate on the goodness of God, I must admit this time I’m not having a very easy time of it. It’s not because He has changed and not because He is not good. I am sure He is good for I would not be living if He were not, but I’ve reached a place where I question for whom He is good and with what He is good. Sorry to all my die-hard Christian brothers and sisters out there who like me have been taught to “never question God” and to be afraid of Him. I’m tired of living in fear. It is no longer fun, if it ever was, and it just doesn’t work, not for the good anyway. Fear is a heavy unnecessary weight designed to either keep us still, or to drive and push us forward out of the “right place” and “right time” for our lives. II Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Fear is still a force and many people live and swear by it. Actually it’s faith turned inside out – it’s a negative form of faith which works from the outside in. Faith is a powerful, positive force birthed from within the Spirit of God, and when He dwells inside of us, our hearts, it works from the inside out.
One song in particular that I did not seek out on YouTube is called “It is No Secret What God Can Do”, and the lyrics say “what He’s done for others He’ll do for you.” Well, this time I could go no further with the song, for I realize that this is just a rhyme, whether or not it makes sense, and whether or not it is true. Maybe it is no secret to what God can do, for after all He is an equal opportunity God and He is FOR everybody, but what He does for others He may not necessarily do for you, or me. This song has been in my life and history since I was a child and I grew up believing that God would do for me what He will, and has done for others. But as I’ve grown older, and yes I am older ;-) I see that this is just not true.
Oh let me be careful now for some will say I've taken that line out of context of the song, and I stand guilty as accused, to make a point. The remainder of the hook says, "with His arms wide open, He'll pardon you. It is no secret what God can do." Yes, in the context of this song about salvation, because Jesus died for everyone, it is no secret that He wants to pardon everyone. :-)
Nevertheless, we have been quite flippant and arrogant with our gifts and talents to write songs and poetry. We make them say what we want them to say and what others want to hear, whether or not they are factual or true. We have done ourselves and the church, and those outside of the “church” a disservice, and many of us are paying a dear price for believing, yes, lies from inside the organized church.
Life is more than a rhyme. God cannot and will not be coerced into doing for us just because we have faith in a song that rhymes. Some people are making good and immediate money because they can put two lines together and make people jump and shout and feel mighty good. Have you noticed that I’m not having much success in this blog rhyming anything? LOL!! I find myself questioning everything and everyone. I can no longer just swallow everything that is sent my way because my life of dreams and fantasies, created around what I now know to be untruths, is just not happening, and many years have passed that I can never retrieve to try and do it again, but differently.
The challenge for me now is to not despair over lost time and wasted years believing what others wrote, and to move on to find out what is reality for my life. I won’t make you think this is easy for me because it is not. We all came into this world depending on others first for all of our sustenance in every area of our lives, and it doesn’t end just because we’re no longer in our 20’s. We will forever be leaning and depending on others for help in one way or another, but we cannot “lose” our own minds in trade for theirs on our behalf. No, we still must think for ourselves and find out what is truth. Before sentencing Jesus Christ to death Pilate asked Him “what is truth?” To His disciples Jesus said “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Light”. (I keep mixing it up with Life, and He is that too.)
So now I’m trying to get my feet flat on “new ground” without all the trimmings I’ve lived with for over 25+ years. ;-) If you don’t know me, don’t waste your time trying to figure out how young I am not. LOL!! It won’t make a difference anyway. And I guess as long as I’m breathing and know who I am and where I am, before me will be another opportunity to learn more truth.
If anyone has any Dr. Seuss books laying around that you no longer need, please consider sending them my way. Rhyming with Dr. Seuss was safe and still is for he never tried to build life principles on a rhyme, but for some reason we could still teach good lessons from his stuff. Cat in the Hat, Fox in a box with Sam I am and green eggs and ham . . . Hmmm, I’m getting a little hungry.
Peace.
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