Starfield: unashamed

What does it mean to be made whole, to be made complete? Because everyday I am confronted with the reality that my soul is fractured and in need of healing. Some days are better than others, but there are those moments where I come face to face with my brokenness; soulish moments where the wounds of my heart begin to lash out at God, others, even myself. Lately, I've been feeling the force of all the many broken relationships of my past which is effecting my relational capacity to receive love.

Now, I fully understand that Jesus makes me whole. But, what I am learning is that embracing this truth is an ongoing process. It's like I need to continually remind myself that because I am in Christ I have been made complete because in Him my wounds are healed. I believe the reason this is easier said than done is because if I am to be made complete in Jesus, I need to embrace the full extent of my brokenness which is all together scary, humbling, overwhelming and painful to say the least.

But, what helps get me through is the reminder that God is love and that there is no safer place to be than at His feet. He fully accepts me just as I am, period. I don't need to feel ashamed about my brokenness because Jesus fully loves me in my brokenness while He brings healing and redemption to my brokenness. At His feet is where I am fully known and still fully loved. Jesus, "here I am at your feet, in my brokenness complete." 

Rita Springer: phenomenon

A few weeks back God miraculously grew out one of my legs and then evened them out (for the full story click here). While I have been processing this, what the Holy Spirit has brought to my attention is how I can get easily sidetracked by the supernatural. Meaning, when a miracle happens I can very easily forget the Miracle Worker (God) because I am so captivated by the miracle itself. That's why I love this song, it reminds me that I don't follow God because of the supernatural but because I love Him. "I am not here just to see a phenomenon. I am not here for experiential bliss. I simply come to the feet of the God I serve, the One that I love."

God is a supernatural God, Who works miracles. There is no way of getting around this truth. And this song is a great reminder that witnessing and experiencing the supernatural isn't what we ground our faith in. Rather, our faith needs to be rooted in God Himself. The reason God does miracles is to bring people to faith in Him. But, if our faith is solely rooted in the supernatural, then what we'll have is an immature and shallow faith. "I am not here for the sake of a miracle. I am not here just to see the dead raised. Yes I believe in power supernatural, but that's not why I'm saved." We are saved through a Person, Jesus Christ, in Him is where we must put our faith. 

Bad Religion: we are only gonna die

Recently, a friend of mine changed her Facebook profile pic to one that reminded me of when we used to run wild in the streets of Chicago as a couple of punk rock kids. When I sit down and really think about those days, they were some pretty painful times of my past. I was so angry at the world and I wanted everyone to feel my pain. This song was one of my favorites back then. From as far back as I can remember, music has always helped me find my voice. If you ever want to know where I'm at in this journey through life just ask me what songs I'm listening to, they will clue you in to what's currently on my heart.

Today, the music that reflects the voice of my heart is far different then what it was. Thankfully, God has healed the painful memories of my past and eased the anger that poured out of my every pore. I have found peace. Not just any peace, but a peace that transcends this very world. Through Jesus I have made peace with God, with others and with myself. My past no longer controls my present, nor dictates my future. There's a Scripture verse that describes my life with God now: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'" (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV). It's true.

ATB: don't stop

Just recently, a friend of mine posted this as his facebook status: "amazing how many memories a song can hold." I'd have to agree. Music is a powerful catalyst. This song has quite a few memories for me, both happy and painful. The happy memories are the ones where I'm dancing with close friends without a care in the world. The painful memories are the ones where I'm so high on ecstasy that I can't even remember my name. I definitely don't miss those days. But, I do miss the ones where I'm dancing with close friends. What kind of memories do the songs of your life activate?