"Believe"

Hello! So, I was sitting on my bed the other day with my iPod on shuffle, and a song by The Bravery came on called "Believe." The lyrics hit me like an angry ninja. The chorus says,

"Give me something to believe;

I think I'm living just to breathe.

There must be something more

Than what I'm living for.

Give me something to believe..."

These words have such a cry of desperation in them. "I think I'm living just to breathe." Without Christ, what is there to live for? Hearing this song and thinking about what the words mean broke my heart. People all over the world, billions of them, living with no purpose at all. During my time in Ukraine I noticed, immediately upon arrival, that NO ONE smiles there. NO ONE. EVER. SERIOUSLY. So incredibly sad, seeing people living without hope. Then, in contrast to that, I saw people in Guatemala smiling everywhere. Mayans are quite literally "the least of these" in Guatemalan culture, living in extreme poverty. Yet through all this, they are Believers in Christ and are filled with an infectious joy. This joy set them apart. This joy made them different. When I got back to the States, I looked around and felt like I was back in Ukraine. The joy that was so prevalent in our Guatemalan brothers and sisters was seemingly lost here. Why is that? I saw that it was because they had nothing hindering them from Christ. He was their sole focus, and it was obvious that He was pleased with what they were doing.

As I spent more time thinking about it, my heart exploded into confetti. I had so much holding me back. I realized that in saying I wanted nothing but Christ, I was lying. Straight up. Funny how God chose to use a song that had no direct connection to Him as my teacher. He showed me that even though I thought I was all for Him, I was still holding on to the things of this world. I was ignoring the plank in my eye, while searching the forest for wood. Since then, He has helped me see those things that I was holding on to, and they are no longer here to hold me down. I'm sure there are still others, due to the fact that I'm still human, but those particular things are no longer a problem. Graciously, He has enforced my faith through this and has given me more confidence in Him. Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know." That basically sums up what I plan on doing: calling to Him in faith that He will answer. Of course, I can't even do THAT without His help, but that's why He's holy and I'm me. It's much better this way.