Lions! by LIGHTS

Give me a disaster, give me an emergency
Stand me at the head of the crusade without a remedy
Show me to the shipwreck, show me how your bones shake
And when I'm at the edge of sorrow's blade, show me how a heart breaks

Be steady on your feet
No matter the trouble you meet

Lions make you brave
Giants give you faith
Death is a charade
You don't have to feel safe to feel unafraid

Find me at the bottom looking at the vultures
Standing in the heart of the disease, following the hard curves
I'm looking for the thunder, I'm looking for the blackness
I'm learning how to get up off my knees and all it takes is practice

Be ready on your feet
No matter the trouble you meet

Lions make you brave
Giants give you faith
Death is a charade
You don't have to feel safe to feel unafraid

I'm not the hunter, I'm not the marked
Just looking for wisdom in the dark

Lions make you brave
Giants give you faith
Death is a charade
You don't have to feel safe to feel unafraid

I LOVE this song.
I'm not sure whether LIGHTS is a Christian or not (I'm just gonna go with "no" to be safe) but this song definitely has "Christian" characteristics.
My favorite part of this song is definitely the chorus (the "Lions" part makes me think of the Wizard of Oz):

Lions make you brave
Giants give you faith
Death is a charade
You don't have to feel safe to feel unafraid

To me, it's talking pretty plainly about how God puts lions and giants and trials (Oh my!) in our life to make us stronger.
I went through a time two years ago (almost three) where life felt so incredibly empty and that there was just no emotion whatsoever. I just felt numb and dead and I got upset and frustrated with everything and everyone around me. I felt like anytime anyone talked to me I would just break down and cry uncontrollably. Most of the time that's what I did, too.
But once it was over, oh man did my life get exponentially better.

People tell me that my optimism is irrational and obnoxious (they don't really, but I know what they're thinking) but to me, being anything BUT optimistic is just dumb. Yes, there are moments that call for seriousness, but I have been given a deep and undying joy from Jesus that no one can take away. I feel like my greatest witness is not preaching about God verbally but rather being an encouragement to others when they need something to lean on.
Since God has blessed me with this "obnoxious" happiness, I make it my goal to spread the wealth :)

I also like the "death is a charade" part because it shows how death isn't definite, final, or infinite for a Christian. It's simply a door into our glorious afterlife. Does that mean that we should just sit around and wait for our deaths or for Jesus to come back? Yes and no. Yes, we should be waiting for Jesus, but no we shouldn't just sit around. God doesn't let us know the exact hour of his return because He knows that we'd just slack off till then. Instead, He keeps us going to tell as many people as we can about how awesome and loving He is.

One thing that bugs me is when people say, "Those Christians just think everything is fine and dandy in the world and everything is rainbows and butterflies. They don't realize that our world is seriously hurting." In reality, it's not those who are talking that help the poor. It's the Christians. That's why we have Christian organizations such as Samaritan's Purse, World Help, The IMB, and others that get down and dirty in America and especially across the world.

This is one of my favorite quotes:

“The Christian is merry, not because he is blind to injustice and suffering, but because he is convinced that these, in the light of the divine sovereignty, are never ultimate.” ~ Elton Trueblood

Yes, we see that the world is taking a turn for the worst. But seriously: when has it NOT been that way? In the generation before mine, there was the Vietnam War. In the generation before that, it was WWII. We've had a war nearly every generation, and during each one, everyone thought the world was coming to an end. On top of that we've had terrible presidents and good presidents. We've had depressions/recessions and we've had economic prosperity. The truth is that none of what this world throws at us is ultimate, and God will never ever EVER give us anything that is too much to bear. Will he give us trials? Naturally. Will he test our limits? Of course. But will he ever leave our side for even ONE MOMENT?

Never.

So don't sweat it.
"You don't have to feel safe to feel unafraid."
He's got your back.

And so do I :)


~Amy