So I turned on Pandora today to my Switchfoot radio station (which is great by the way) and I was being blessed by lots of awesome music…and then the strangest thing happened. A song that I used to love came on, and as I was singing along I felt God's nudging to really listen to the lyrics…so I did. And they are sad, kind of tragic really… if you actually stop to listen and ponder the disaster of a wasted life. I want to share some of the song lyrics with you now from Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars":
We'll do it all
Everything
On our own
We don't need
Anything
Or anyone
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world?
………………..
Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads
The very first lines of the song indicate that we are to do everything on our own. That we don't need anything or anyone. I stopped right there for a minute and thought about how many verses that contradict that very thought process. God created us with a God-sized and God shaped void. He also created us to live in community with one another. "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others". Philippians 2:4…just to reference one verse. And then I continued listening and heard the singer tell me that I should just lay back and forget the world. Woah. That definitely doesn't resonate with God's commandments or purpose for my life.
I remembered the passage in Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." I am supposed to be living a life as an example to others, a life that brings glory to my Almighty God! And then an even more powerful and convicting passage struck me.
Isaiah 61: 1-2 "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who mourn."
I don't know about you…but that does NOT sound like forgetting about the world to me. That sounds like God calling me into a battle and to free the world from oppression and calamity and to bring healing and freedom in the name of Jesus!
So, I challenge you… let's NOT waste time just "chasing cars around our heads"!
ALSO……
I wrote this "song"(it's really only lyrics, since I don't play an instrument) about not wasting time. I hope it will be a blessing to you. 🙂
Time
Verse 1
Sunrise has again faded to sunset
And tonight, in the twilight I reflect
Did the moments of today really matter anyway
Did I take a stand, lend a hand
Or allow chances to mindlessly flyaway
Chorus
All that really belongs to us is time
The choices we make are yours and mine
Will we take control of our God given timeline
Instead of standing idly by on the sideline
Verse 2
Look in the mirror and who do I see, staring back at me
A reflection chasing selfish, fairytale dreams
Or someone choosing to share in a selfless reality
Am I living, laughing, loving for today
Have to escape the past, quit putting it off for a day far away
Bridge
Time tries
Time defies
Time reveals
Time heals
Chorus
All that really belongs to us is time
The choices we make are yours and mine
Will we take control of our God given timeline
Instead of standing idly by on the sideline
All that really belongs to us is time
The choices we make are yours and mine
Will we take control of our God given timeline
Instead of standing idly by on the sideline
Love you all! Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support!
<3 Cassie
….And yes, in case you were wondering…this blog is done in green and orange as a shout out to my favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turle…Michelangelo!
