This Post Is About Lyrics

I've been on a huge Make Do And Mend kick lately, as well as a Being As An Ocean kick. Two songs have really stuck out to me lately: Stand/Stagger by MDAM and The Sea Always Seems To Put Me At Ease by BAAO. Stand/Stagger because of the music and I like yelling along, and TSASTPMAE (way too long to type out more than once) because of the poetry. Then one day I listened to the lyrics of Stand/Stagger and I realized how starkly these two songs stand in contrast with each other (lyrics and embedded videos at the end). Stand/Stagger is basically Ecclesiastes without God, and TSASTPMAE is basically J. D. Greear's Gospel Prayer. Once I realized that, it was sort of like that one thing you read one way and it is all pessimistic, then you read it the other way and it is all optimistic. Here, I took the trouble of finding that for you:

pic.twitter.com/q3BReodddw

— Ronnie Joice (@ronniejoice) July 22, 2015

Now, of course, it isn't exactly like that, because these are two different songs, not the same little poem thing, and playing Stand/Stagger backwards would just sound bad. But I listen to Stand/Stagger and just feel sorry for the song-writer because he feels there is nowhere else to go. He feels that we can't earn the favor of others, that the future isn't worth it because we won't be able to earn anything and we will just let people down. Then I listen to TSASTPMAE and can feel a real hope for the future, just the opposite of what I feel from Stand/Stagger, that there is nothing I can do to make God love me less. Part of this comes from the line in S/S, "I'm finding out that all this means is that I'm coming apart at the seams." Part of the reason the song-writer feels that everything is coming apart at the seams is because he is relying on himself. Really, though, all we can do is rely on God. Because we will never be able to live up to others expectation, which means that we will always disappoint others. And as we realize that we can't live up to others, we can realize that we can depend on God. Not on ourselves, not on our family, not on our friends. Just God.

God puts strength in our backbones, knowing that we are going to fall. But that doesn't change how He loves us. He doesn't say, "I raised you better to be healthy and strong!" He says, "I raised you, I knew you would fall, but that doesn't change the fact that I love you. You don't have to feel ashamed around me. I won't stab you in the back. You can mend. You can recover. I have redeemed you already." That's powerful. And that is the hope we can have under God.

We get lost when we rely on ourselves to earn the favor of others and the favor of God. But the definition of grace is that we cannot earn it. We cannot earn God's grace. We cannot earn the favor of others, because we are all part of fallen humanity. But the glorious thing about Christ is that it doesn't matter, because He has already redeemed all of this. All we have to do is accept that redemption, we cannot earn it. A truly glorious thing.

[Videos of songs and accompanying lyrics]

There must be perfect words for feeling alone around the people that love you. They hide their concern, and keep their mouths shut while they watch you come unglued. “You are their oldest son! They raised you better to be healthy and strong!” I haven’t felt that way in so long. But I’d be fine if I could just shake this feeling that all I am is spinning out of control. And it’s slowly becoming clear that your friends and your family can’t bear to tell you that they’ve been watching as you get worse all these years. And it’s still there, the rising fear that your dependence is more than your share, and you’re one step closer to nowhere near. But I’d be fine if I could just shake this feeling that all I am is spinning out of control. Tonight it’s hard not to feel like a failure when I count the scars on my fingers and know there’s nowhere else to go. I’m finding out that all this means is I’m falling apart at the seams. But I’m coming clean. And there’s not much room to breathe between my inconsistencies and the constant reminder that I’ve always been this weak. But I’d be fine if I could just shake this feeling that all I am is spinning out of control. Tonight it’s hard not to feel like a failure when I count the scars on my fingers and know there’s nowhere else to go.

You are the topic of every epic we have ever been told. And as I stand on this cliff, the wind whips through me and I am made bold. Once again, Your presence creeps into my consciousness. Grace made tangible in this newly anointed place and I am brought to my clear senses that none of my perceived failings or disgrace has ever touched my being or inheritance. I am whole, I am clean, I am free, and I brought to my knees. Sink in; permeate this weary flesh. Breathe; life as clean and fresh as the salt-seasoned breeze. Please Father, pull me to my feet. ‘Why are you kneeling, my son? I put strength in that back-bone knowing that you would fall but I promise, you will never taste defeat. You are whole, you are clean, you are free. Get up, rise from your knees!’ We can no longer linger in the shadows of our shame and brokenness. For as sure as the wind blows He has already redeemed all of this. Live as whole, live as clean, live as free. Everything you were made to be standing at the edge of self-discovery. Tired and weary. Our body trembles, buckles. We are afraid of being hurt again, been stabbed in the back by our own friends. We don’t know if we can mend. Minds riddled with unsuccessful recoveries. We’re scared, Lord, we’re terrified. But dive in we must. Cause there has to be something better than this. For we see testimony of You in the sea, Your creation, all of nature. So with a sudden rush we abandon our solitary perching place and as we wash away the mourning dust Immersed; we see Your face.