My battle...

I hope you're sitting down as you read this, because I'm about to shock you. I'm going to write a blog about a song.

I know. Crazy. Right? Oh well, there's a first time for everything. So, here we go.

One of my favorite characteristics of any great composition is the ability of the piece to mean different things to different listeners hearing from different viewpoints and applying different filters. This can happen in one of several ways.

One way is simply irritating. That's when someone takes someone else's song and changes the lyrics to make their own point. I don't mean a comedic parody like songs recorded by Weird Al Yankovic or Cledus T. Judd. Those are specifically designed jokes to either poke fun of or pay an odd type of respect to the original artist or songwriter. There are, however, bands who put out entire albums of other people's music with the lyrics rewritten as Christian songs. I hate that. Frankly, it's just sad. Write your own stuff people.

Another method is the cover version. That is to reimagine or reinvent a song to "make it your own." This is the concept employed by the most popular music-based reality television shows. It can cause the viewer or listener to grasp the emotion or meaning of a particular song in a completely new way.

A third, and perhaps my personal favorite, way a song can impact different people in different ways, is when the song isn't changed in any way at all, but the listener simply considers the music or lyrics from an alternate perspective. Allow me to give you an example. Give a listen to this great song "Just In Time" as performed by the one and only Dean Martin. (There are likely many versions by many artists, but we all know Dino is the greatest.) Check it out here.

Nice right? Now listen again, but change your viewpoint. Don't listen to the song as a grateful lover addressing his lady. This time, imagine he's a sinner saved by grace singing of the love of his savior, Jesus Christ, rather than a human love interest. Every word is nearly perfect.

Then there's the rare occasion where a song is so perfectly crafted that you could swear it was written and recorded specifically for you and your situation. Such is the case for me with the song "No Longer Slaves" by Jonathan David and Melissa Helser. You can see the video and hear the song here.

My situation is, simply put, fear. I am a father of one incredible daughter. As I write this, I am within two weeks of becoming the father of two incredible daughters. As illogical and irrational as it may be, I have been battling fear of failure as a father and a husband. I do not recall feeling this way and this strongly as we were awaiting the arrival of our first baby. I have no explanation for why this is happening this time around. It has been a very emotional and stressful battle for me.

Then God used this song to break through to me.

Listen to the first line of the song again with this one little fact of information from my personal life. My oldest daughter is named Melody. My youngest will be named Caroline, which means "a song of happiness."

"You unravel me with a Melody. You surround me with a song (Caroline)."

First, I love the word "unravel" here. When you unravel something, you reduce it to its most basic building block such that it can never be reconstructed into its previous iteration. Many of you know that a firstborn will change everything in and about you and your life.

Second, if the song is applied to my personal life, then I can't help but be amused by the lyric choice of the words "surround me with a song." When Caroline arrives, the girls will have me outnumbered by three to one. I will actually have become surrounded because of her.

Finally, the rest of the song expresses the main point that I so desperately need right now. When it comes to what you face in your situation, or to fear of failure in mine, we are not to be slaves to fear. Please note, that did not say that we are not to ever experience fear. I have long felt guilty any time that I felt fear about anything. I labored under the misinformed belief that because I was afraid, I had somehow failed to believe in or did not possess enough faith in God. It was very disconcerting.

It was also wrong. You see fear, much like doubt or sin, is a natural human experience. In fact, fear is often a beneficial and healthy emotion. What would happen to the human race without the instinctual fears that we have, such as fear of snakes or wild animals? The Bible does teach us to "fear not." But the instructions don't end there. Why are we not supposed to be afraid? "...for I am with you says the lord."

That's the key.

Fear is going to come into your life. That is inevitable. Let God into your life and into your situation. Let him have control. Follow him and lean on him. Then, and only then, you will overcome your fears.

It is ok to get scared. It is ok to be scared. It is not ok to stay scared.

You don't have to stay scared. You are no longer a slave to fear. The truth is, staying scared will not do any good for you. That's what I have to remember myself.

That's what I have to fight for in my life.


Scripture: O do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. - Isaiah 41:10

Quote: "Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway." - John Wayne


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