Saturday night Travis and I had the chance to go and see Casting Crowns. We actually weren’t planning on it but the night before the concert we were given the tickets. 🙂 You would think after seeing them perform three times that I would be tired of their songs and their concerts but I don’t know if I could ever get tired of them. 😛
First off there is nothing like listening live to the song live that God used to change my life forever. I always feel Jesus touch when I hear “Voice of Truth”. 🙂 Travis and I were also really touched by a couple of their songs individually but we were also both touched by one song that made us look at our lives and make some changes this past weekend.
Now I have to go back to three weeks ago when my mentor came over and we talked about life as we usually do and I shared with her things that I had seen going on within the Christian circle. I was open and shared with her how I was tired of seeing Christians act a certain way and was tired of hearing Christians talk a certain way when we are supposed to be different from the world and we are supposed to be the light that draws people in. Ephesisans 5:8 says “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”
So why for instance is there so much sexual joking going on within the Christian community? In the New International Version Ephesians 5:4 says “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” If you look it up in the Message Bible it says, “Don’t talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect.” Do those verses not apply the same as any other verse in the Bible? Of course they do!
Then this past Saturday when Travis and I were at the concert they sang the song “Slow Fade”. I have always liked that song but it all of a sudden hit me in a different way as I really listened closely to the words.
“It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away. It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray. Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid when you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day. It’s a slow fade, it’s a slow fade.”
From my past I know far too well how it is a “slow fade” and before you know it you can be in a sin that you never thought you would be in. I know from my past that we do have to stand strong and be careful with what we are taking in and what we are doing in our lives that could bring us down. For example we can watch certain shows, and listen to non-Christian songs and before you know it you are taking in all this garbage that is actually bringing you down. We can become desensitized to what we watch and listen to so easily.
So as I was listening to this song I had to look at my own life and think of the verse in Matthew 7: 3 “ Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” It is easy for me to say “I am tired of seeing or hearing….” but what am I doing in my life to be different too? What things can I change in my life to not become that way and to live my life fully for God? I don’t want to become one of those people that just becomes okay with things that are going on around me and I definitely don’t want to become one of those people that starts doing what others are doing because they think it is okay. I want to stand out and I want to be different because that is what I believe God calls us to do.
On the way home from the concert I shared with Travis what I had felt and he totally agreed with me. One thing we knew we should think about was the shows we watch. Right there we listed different TV shows that we normally watch together and decided there are just certain shows we will not watch anymore. We analyzed them and decided if they were healthy for us or not and then if we realized they weren’t we agreed that we would not watch them anymore.
We have had a great month of marriage and we want to do everything to keep that going. We want to be strong as individuals but we want to be strong in our marriage too. We don’t want “black and white to turn to grey” and we want to continue to be examples to those around us.
I love it when God speaks to me! On Friday at youth the Youth Pastor challenged the youth to write peoples names down and pray for them to have more passion, hope, light and to know that God is the truth and the way. The youth leaders did the list as well and when it came to passion I prayed for others but I also prayed for Travis and I because I never want to stop pursuing to have more passion for Christ and now that I am married I want Travis and I as a couple to learn together and continue to want that passion together. I know there is so much more that we have to learn but I am thankful that the day after I prayed for more passion for Travis and I…that God answered my prayers.