The Strength to Hope

Each day people are faced with some of the most unbelievable obstacles. Hurt, abuse, moral failure, the dissolution of a marriage, pain, the loss of a job, extreme sickness and death. How do you "deal" with those obstacles? It's not like they just go away.

On Wednesday's So You Think You Can Dance episode dancers Ade and Melissa performed a very powerful piece about a woman's struggle with Breast Cancer. In it you see a variety of emotions and reactions to this battle:

• The girl laying down as if she has nothing left (her friend lifts her up)
• The girl and friend in despair (hurting)
  
• The girl clinging to her friend for support, trusting in his strength (seen in her literally jumping into his arms on several occasions)
• Frustration, as she pounds on the chest of her friend
• Faithfulness, as the friend was and carries her through this

I don't usually get dance, but I get this!

Watch the performance...

'SYTYCD' Top 8: Melissa & Ade's Contemporary Performance @ Y! TV

In this piece, the strength the woman receives is from her friend. While it is true that our friends and family are some our greatest sources of support in unbelievable times (as God created them to be), I couldn't help but think about the "friend" in this routine as our God. Obviously this was not the intent of the choreographer (Tyce Diorio), but read the passage below and then watch the performance again and you'll see how I see it like that. FIRST: read this about Jesus Christ, who loves so perfectly...

Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:34-39)

It is true that we live in a broken (Fallen) world. For those who put their faith and life in the hands of Jesus Christ, there is hope in those unimaginable times that we could never forsee coming. Those moments of despair and feeling alone. Those moments when we say "I never thought this would be my life." There is hope! Even if the worst should happen (death), there is still hope in knowing we can live on forever in the presence of Him who made us just like Him. Jesus Christ came and died (and lives again!) that we might have hope, comfort and boldness in this life and the one to come!

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Want to talk with me personally? Email me at christianthechristian.c2@gmail.com.

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Eminem's "Beautiful" New Old Story

Many are calling Eminem's new song/video a departure for him because in it apparently gets in touch with his softer side. While this song is definitely softer than most of his typical fare, the inner battle of hurt and emotion that is waging inside of him is nothing new (as seen in several of his other songs... see his video "When I'm Gone" about his life and his mistakes as an example). The difference now is that his one solace, rap music, is not a place of refuge for him anymore ("I'm so ******* depressed...But I just can't admit Or come to grips, with the fact that I may be done with rap, I need a new outlet..."). A touching point of interest is the setting for this song's video... a struggling (dying?) city, with a bleak outlook and hope appearing to be nowhere in sight: Detroit (Eminem's home city).

I've never been a fan of the content of Eminem's (Marshall Mathers) music, but his talent is undeniable. He is truly a gifted story teller and song writer; however, much of that gift is lost in his struggle to find meaning through angry ranting, vulgarity and a seemingly endless downward spiral. My heart goes out to him. Reading the lyrics to his song "Beautiful" breaks my heart even further. Here is a millionaire artist living "the dream" and surrounded by the world and feeling completely alone and without hope (yet trying to offer listeners hope in being true to themselves).

The cards he was "dealt" (being abandoned as a child, struggling to survive in Detroit, his marriage ending twice, drug addiction, etc.) are no doubt tough, but where Marshall seems to miss it is thinking that this is his lot in life, as if this is God's desire for him. God did not place this life on him, it is the product of a series of decisions made by him and those before and around him (parents, wife, friends, etc.). Now as a man and father he has choices to make... does he continue to live in a world that obviously has not brought him the hope or answers he was looking for? Or go to the Source of life and see if maybe there is more to this life than all that he placed his hope in? The problem is, he is a victim of his own choices and a culture that screams "I don't need help - I can handle this on my own!" In "Beautiful" he says:

Nobody asked for life to deal us
With these bull**** hands they've dealt
We have to take these cards ourselves
And flip them, don't expect no help
Now I could have either just
Sat on my *** and ******* and moaned
But take this situation in which I'm placed in
And get up and get my own

My heart hurts for him. The pain he deals with must be unimaginable and unfortunately it does not sound like it is going to be easing up any time soon. Instead of going to the One who can heal, comfort, forgive and provide answers, he turns back to himself for the same tired answers that leave him "depressed."

Parents: Use this video (be careful searching the song or other videos as many are not edited) and talk about "fate." Is this life nothing more than a random series of events? Or do the choices we make (from the free will given to us by God, the Creator) affect us and the generations that will follow us? Discuss the following quote with your teens and how it applies to them: "The choices we make today dictate the life we live tomorrow" (C2). Eminem says in the song that people should just be "true to you (yourself)"? What does the Bible seem to say about being true to ourselves? Being that God made us in His image, who does He say we are?

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A Crash and a Death in Heaven on Earth

My wife and I are major fans of Disney, aka "the happiest place on earth," aka "heaven on earth". Despite the existential and often naturalistic worldviews in their movies (most of which we do not agree with), few companies truly seek to create the illusion of magic and happiness for children and families. Being former "Cast Members" (employees) of the Disney Company my wife and I witnessed first hand the lengths the company goes to (and the freedom it gives its cast members/employees to) help create a magical experience for families as well as the amount of money they spend to help terminally ill children and their families, as well as underprivileged children.

In the theme parks characters abound, the aroma of delicious food and desserts fill the air, laughter can be heard around every corner, smiles are never in short supply and families (usually) walk happily together enjoying each others company. Millions of people every year flock to Disney theme parks around the world for a sense of escape from routine, hurt, reality and more. They seek a little taste of magic. A little joy in a broken world.

I guess this is why a tragic weekend monorail crash in Walt Disney World (Orlando) seemed so shocking. While this is not the first accident or death in the "happiest place on earth," it is just another reminder that brokenness, loss and hurt extend even into the land of the magic-makers. Despite its illusion of magic and happiness, or "perfection" as one visitor was reported as saying, it is still only a theme park that creates illusions of grandeur and majesty. An illusion is only a facade; an impression of reality. There is but one place perfection truly exists. One place where hurt does not exist and there is no brokenness. As much as we enjoy our little escapes from the reality of a broken world, this incident reminds us there is but one Heaven...

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Revelation 21:3-7, 22-27)

PARENTS: As heartbreaking as this tragedy is, you can use this as a way of facilitating a conversation about illusion (magic) and True Perfection (God, heaven, etc.). Read your teen/child the passage about heaven and discuss ways we try to duplicate that here on earth. Discuss also how no matter how good we do at creating the illusion of perfection there is but one God, one heaven and one salvation.

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