This is the final of the 3 posts where I am discussing some of the new songs off of the cd "Rhythm and Repose" by Glen Hansard. In the previous posts, I've discussed the gifts, we've been given in this life and how we should take every moment we have to use them to the best of our abilities, praising God in everything we do. The second post was how we can deal with the storms that rage in our life, and that even though they may seem impossible, we find that if we focus on God's promises, we can get through those trials. Today I want to focus on knowing when to humble yourself. What I mean by this is that we need to break down our selfish pride and know when to let others give us a helping hand.
Song of Good Hope by Glen Hansard
In the last post, I referred our troubles in life to storms. In today's song, Glen uses the image of our troubles being like rivers. When you look at a river, you probably think that it's not that bad as it seems. You can probably walk or swim across it with no problems. Have you ever seen a river after a storm or even during one? Peaceful is hardly a way to describe the river. Most of the time the river's waters rise to dangerous levels and if you were to fall in, you'd be swept away. So when there is no bridge to cross over the troublesome river, what else is there to do?
Well if we're gonna make it,
Cross this river alive,
You better think like a boat,
And go with the tide,
A boat's main purpose is to safely overcome the obstacle of deep or even dangerous waters. So if we are ever going to cross the river that is our troubles, we must think like a boat. In order to survive, you must go with the water. Wherever the waters carry you, it is your job to stay afloat and get safely to where your destination is. For instance, if your troubles contain a sickness in your life, you go with it by administering prescriptions and doing all that you need to stay as healthy as possible. If you decide to go against the stormy waters, by refusing the treatments of that sickness, your body will start to slowly shut down on itself because you aren't doing anything to help it maintain what it is supposed to do. As you can see, it is important to adapt to the obstacles that is the raging rivers in our life. We must think like a boat, go with the flow, and do what we can to make it through to the other side. Is this as easy as I'm making it seem to be, sometimes, no.
And I've known where you've been,
Has really left you in doubt,
Of ever finding a harbour,
Of figuring this out,
And you're gonna need, all the help you can get,
So lift up your arms now, and reach for it,
Reach for it...
When things seem really daunting, or when our troubles get the best of us, we sometimes turn to doubt. When I heard that there wasn't a cure for type 1 diabetes, I doubted I would ever be cured. In fact, sometimes I still find it hard to see the harbour that is this disease being cured. When such doubt creeps into your mind, it's hard for us to focus on your goal of getting through it. We spend most of our time wrapping our head around the negative that we refuse to see the positive. This is where we need to lay down our pride and call out for help.
Now, our help can come from many things. We have family that is willing to stop everything and be there for the one person who needs help. We have unwavering friends who clear their schedules, and put aside their troubles to make sure we get through ours safely. These sources of help are a great blessing, a gift if you will. There is one help that can surpass any other help that there may be in this world. (Romans 8:26-28) "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
And take your time babe,
It's not as bad as it seemed,
You'll be fine babe,
It's just some rivers and streams,
In between, you and where you want to be,
Watch the signs now,
You'll know what they mean,
You'll be fine now,
Just stay close to me,
And may good hope, walk with you through everything,
When the rivers rage in our lives, it's not best to rush through them otherwise we will be swept up in everything and will lose sight of our goal. When we reach for that help that we desperately need to keep our goals in sight, we become renewed. We hear our help saying, "It's okay, take your time because this is not as bad as it seems. You'll be fine, these are simple rivers and streams in between you and where you want to be." Now wait a minute, what about the incurable disease that is my river? You are saying that it's not as bad as it seems and I'll be fine?! You know what, reader, they are right and it took me up to this point to figure out how they are right. You see, this disease inside of me is nothing compared to the disease that is sin. If we do not confess our sins to the Lord and repent of them, then that is when we are truly doomed to death. I am not talking about the first death (the one that occurs to our bodies on earth) but I am talking about the second death. The second death is what will happen on Judgement Day. At the second death (to those who do not believe) the Bible says, "See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord.And they (believers) will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind." (Isaiah 66:15-16,24) The second death that is spoken of here is the eternal punishment of hell. You see, reader, this disease I have right now on earth is not as bad as it seems compared to the destructive disease that is sin. I will be fine because my diabetes is just some river and stream between myself and where I want to be. I want to be in Heaven with my Savior, so if I have to ride this river, I will gladly do it. While riding out this river, I will strengthen my faith so that others may see the help I am receiving from friends, family, and of course, my Savior and hopefully I can be an example for them to do the same in their troubles.
With my faith, family, and friends, I walk boldly and confidently knowing that I will be just fine in this life as long as I stay close to them and allow their help when I truly need it. I know I will have that good hope in this walk through life because of the ultimate sacrifice that was made on my behalf. It was this very sacrifice that I gained eternal life. 1 John 5 says, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the son of God." Through my faith, I have overcome every stream or river placed in front of me (as long as I don't lose sight of my faith) because of the fact that Jesus had overcome the world for me. So it is through him, I overcome the world as long as he is the help I continue going to.
Through my faith; continual yearning to do God's will; and my praise through the use of the gifts given to me; I can confidently say that any storms in my life will pass and I will be okay. The raging rivers that are our obstacles will not make me their next victim because of the support group I have with fellow Christians and the encouragement I get through them. Most of all, it is by faith I have been saved, it is a gift from God. Because of that gift, I have received an eternal life with my Savior and this is what he promises me: "He (God) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelations 21:4) In this, I have full confidence.
Song of Good Hope by Glen Hansard
In the last post, I referred our troubles in life to storms. In today's song, Glen uses the image of our troubles being like rivers. When you look at a river, you probably think that it's not that bad as it seems. You can probably walk or swim across it with no problems. Have you ever seen a river after a storm or even during one? Peaceful is hardly a way to describe the river. Most of the time the river's waters rise to dangerous levels and if you were to fall in, you'd be swept away. So when there is no bridge to cross over the troublesome river, what else is there to do?
Well if we're gonna make it,
Cross this river alive,
You better think like a boat,
And go with the tide,
A boat's main purpose is to safely overcome the obstacle of deep or even dangerous waters. So if we are ever going to cross the river that is our troubles, we must think like a boat. In order to survive, you must go with the water. Wherever the waters carry you, it is your job to stay afloat and get safely to where your destination is. For instance, if your troubles contain a sickness in your life, you go with it by administering prescriptions and doing all that you need to stay as healthy as possible. If you decide to go against the stormy waters, by refusing the treatments of that sickness, your body will start to slowly shut down on itself because you aren't doing anything to help it maintain what it is supposed to do. As you can see, it is important to adapt to the obstacles that is the raging rivers in our life. We must think like a boat, go with the flow, and do what we can to make it through to the other side. Is this as easy as I'm making it seem to be, sometimes, no.
And I've known where you've been,
Has really left you in doubt,
Of ever finding a harbour,
Of figuring this out,
And you're gonna need, all the help you can get,
So lift up your arms now, and reach for it,
Reach for it...
When things seem really daunting, or when our troubles get the best of us, we sometimes turn to doubt. When I heard that there wasn't a cure for type 1 diabetes, I doubted I would ever be cured. In fact, sometimes I still find it hard to see the harbour that is this disease being cured. When such doubt creeps into your mind, it's hard for us to focus on your goal of getting through it. We spend most of our time wrapping our head around the negative that we refuse to see the positive. This is where we need to lay down our pride and call out for help.
Now, our help can come from many things. We have family that is willing to stop everything and be there for the one person who needs help. We have unwavering friends who clear their schedules, and put aside their troubles to make sure we get through ours safely. These sources of help are a great blessing, a gift if you will. There is one help that can surpass any other help that there may be in this world. (Romans 8:26-28) "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
And take your time babe,
It's not as bad as it seemed,
You'll be fine babe,
It's just some rivers and streams,
In between, you and where you want to be,
Watch the signs now,
You'll know what they mean,
You'll be fine now,
Just stay close to me,
And may good hope, walk with you through everything,
When the rivers rage in our lives, it's not best to rush through them otherwise we will be swept up in everything and will lose sight of our goal. When we reach for that help that we desperately need to keep our goals in sight, we become renewed. We hear our help saying, "It's okay, take your time because this is not as bad as it seems. You'll be fine, these are simple rivers and streams in between you and where you want to be." Now wait a minute, what about the incurable disease that is my river? You are saying that it's not as bad as it seems and I'll be fine?! You know what, reader, they are right and it took me up to this point to figure out how they are right. You see, this disease inside of me is nothing compared to the disease that is sin. If we do not confess our sins to the Lord and repent of them, then that is when we are truly doomed to death. I am not talking about the first death (the one that occurs to our bodies on earth) but I am talking about the second death. The second death is what will happen on Judgement Day. At the second death (to those who do not believe) the Bible says, "See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord.And they (believers) will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind." (Isaiah 66:15-16,24) The second death that is spoken of here is the eternal punishment of hell. You see, reader, this disease I have right now on earth is not as bad as it seems compared to the destructive disease that is sin. I will be fine because my diabetes is just some river and stream between myself and where I want to be. I want to be in Heaven with my Savior, so if I have to ride this river, I will gladly do it. While riding out this river, I will strengthen my faith so that others may see the help I am receiving from friends, family, and of course, my Savior and hopefully I can be an example for them to do the same in their troubles.
With my faith, family, and friends, I walk boldly and confidently knowing that I will be just fine in this life as long as I stay close to them and allow their help when I truly need it. I know I will have that good hope in this walk through life because of the ultimate sacrifice that was made on my behalf. It was this very sacrifice that I gained eternal life. 1 John 5 says, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the son of God." Through my faith, I have overcome every stream or river placed in front of me (as long as I don't lose sight of my faith) because of the fact that Jesus had overcome the world for me. So it is through him, I overcome the world as long as he is the help I continue going to.
Through my faith; continual yearning to do God's will; and my praise through the use of the gifts given to me; I can confidently say that any storms in my life will pass and I will be okay. The raging rivers that are our obstacles will not make me their next victim because of the support group I have with fellow Christians and the encouragement I get through them. Most of all, it is by faith I have been saved, it is a gift from God. Because of that gift, I have received an eternal life with my Savior and this is what he promises me: "He (God) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelations 21:4) In this, I have full confidence.
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