Jumping for My Parachute...

I'm kinda bummed right now...I just burned my mouth and tongue sipping my tea. I was really looking forward to it, but now every sip is going to be a burden and far from soothing. Because of that I can't even eat anything, and I'll probably have sores in my mouth tomorrow, so I'm sitting around with nothing to do and I have lots on my mind but I don't want to talk about it because my mouth hurts. Thankfully I don't use my mouth to type so this is a solid choice. I'm done venting now...

What I really want to type about is this: I really appreciate music. I know lots of people who love music more than me and who understand music better than me, but I love how music meets me where I'm at. I love music's ability to articulate my thoughts and feelings. Relient K does this kind of thing to me all the time. I used to despise this band because, at first glance, they come across as really silly. Christians singing about a chick asking this dude out to the Sadie Hawkins dance isn't my idea of spiritual fulfillment. As I listened to more of their music I found that they have this brilliant quirkiness that makes a whole lot of sense. They talk about spiritual stuff in a very creative way and I can really relate to it.

In their song, "Life After Death and Taxes" (a little spoof on a common phrase...they're good at that) there is this one line that I absolutely love. In fact, it's one of my favorite quotes:

And this is how I choose to live
As if I'm jumping off a cliff
Knowing that you'll save me...

I like extreme stuff. I want to strap myself into a parachute and jump out of airplanes and off of cliffs or buildings or bridges. I love that feeling I get when I do stuff like that. I think those lyrics are a great depiction of the Christian life. Sure, life is dangerous and uncertain, but it's also exciting and beautiful! Why stand on the edge and think about the things that could happen? What are we waiting for? Jump! Wouldn't you do so much more stuff if you knew that everything would end up ok? I know I would! Not only that, but I would invite others to join me. "God works for the good of those who love him," right? We have the confidence that we will be safe when we land, so enjoy the ride! That's not to say that we won't get banged up or bruised along the way, but we'll be safe nonetheless.

This is a great thing for me to think about because like so many other people my age, I have no real idea of what my future is going to look like, and based on past experiences, my dreams sell myself short. With all of the things going on in my life - school, friends, church, relationships, ministry, carreer aspirations...the list goes on - wouldn't it be easier for me to jump, enjoy the ride and trust God to have me land right where He wants me? Afterall, where I end up will be better than what I could do for myself. I shouldn't worry about all of that. It's all in the Lord's hands and he's blown my dreams away time and time again. I think life is better this way...I think it's supposed to be this way.