Derailment, Irony & a $20 bill...

     I recently heard the following lyrics in a song and thought, "How true they are." The lyrics come form a song by Christian metal band Oh, Sleeper. The song is Means to Believe, off of their Children of Fire album.

He gave me a train with no tracks,

With no wood to build or burn for steam,

Despite all I lack, if I derail He'll turn His back,

Don't you see the irony?

The song talks about how Jesus gives us the means to believe in what He has done for us, and what He wants to do in us. And yet these lines here depict what so many people think of their Christian life. They think that God has given them new life and expects them to do something with it under their own power. And yet, without any tracks to ride on, they think that God will turn His back on them if they derail...which they already have by not having any tracks. Irony, huh?

     The truth is, God gives each of us a "train" of sorts when we believe in His son Jesus Christ and His redemptive work on the cross. But He doesn't expect us to use this train where we are at, but to wait and watch as He creates the tracks for us to ride underneath us. If we get too far behind in wait for Him, we fail to see all that He is doing. But if we get too far ahead, we'll end up derailing our train. But does God turns His back on us? No! He, like the loving father the Bible repeatedly analogizes Him to, comes to where we are and comforts us. He continues to build tracks to where we are, but we have to wait once again for those tracks to be built and for our train to be re-railed.

     This is where the issues arise. So many people don't want to wait for God that they never end up be placed on rails in the first place. Yet they think that if they derail, God will turn His back on them. But they are already derailed, should not God have turned His back on them then, following their own logic? I think this is why so many people start to dislike this new life they have in Christ. Not because of what God is doing, but because they fail to wait for God to build the rails for them to ride on!

     Most importantly though, we have to remember that God never turns His back on us. Rather, we turn our back on Him. He's still right there, but we refuse to accept Him as our Father, who knows what's best for us. All that He asks, is that we turn around and fall into His loving arms. You see, we never lose value to Him. Kinda like a $20 bill. No matter what you do to that bill, as long as it remains a $20 bill, it will always have a value of $20. You can stomp on it, through it in the mud or even rip it in two, but its still worth $20 when made whole.

     That's how God sees us. He always sees the value that we have. And when life beats us up, drags us through the mud, or even wounds us physically, we still have just as much value in His eyes as we did when we were first born. That value never changes! Even now, God still sees that same value in you, and He wants to see that value put to good use in His plans. And you know what? His plans are always the best.

     So would you rather turn to a life that wants to beat you up and make you feel un-valued? Or would you rather turn to a God who is always there, always cares, always values you the same, always loves, and wants to see you have the best life you could ever have? I know what I want to do. I want to turn to my God and watch as He creates for me a life where everything I do brings glory to Him. I hope your choice is the same.