Mean what you say- Part 1

I have been thinking a lot about how people say things that potentially they do not mean. This has come up several times in my thoughts and in conversation over the past weeks. This post will be a multiple part post and cover several examples that have come to my mind as I think about life and the things we say, especially in church. 1st example...

Last Wednesday, when they were doing Caleb's biopsy, Tera said a song kept coming to her mind. The song is called "Enough". The lyric says:

All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

You are my supply
My breath of life
still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
worth living for
still more awesome than I know

You’re my sacrifice
Of greatest price
still more awesome than I know
You’re the coming King
You are everything
still more awesome than I know

More than all I want
More than all I need
You are more than enough for me
More than all I know
More than all I can say
You are more than enough for me

This has been one of our favorites for quite some time. The music is pretty catchy and the words are really nice to sing. However, if you pay attention to the words, they say something very significant.

As we sat in the waiting room last Wednesday while Caleb was getting his first biopsy done, when the room was being filled with prayer from all who were able to be here, and Tera's voice leading those who were there in this song, the words didn't change but how I sang them changed dramatically.

It is really easy to say, "and all I have in You is more than enough" when I have money in the bank, the house is clean, the pool is clean, the car has gas in it, and when my children are healthy and there isn't anything to worry about. Then, God really is more than enough. But when I heard that my child has cancer and I had no idea what type or how serious...is he more than enough then? I have to be honest, last Wednesday, I couldn't sing it! I tried, but the words would not come out of my mouth at all. Was it because I wasn't able to spiritually sing it or because when I really think about the words, they are actually more weighty than I once thought? Was the weight in my lips or was the weight in the words?

I feel that so many times, we sing songs like "Enough" with heavy words that mean a lot, but often sing them very lightly and passively. Maybe we tend to make songs more "cute" than they actually are. We sing them, but often have a few "excepts" to throw in. God, you are more than enough, except when it comes to my finances. God, you are more than enough except when it comes to my job. God, you are more than enough except when it comes to my children. God, you are more than enough except ____________________...and you fill in the blank.

What does that mean? Does it mean that if my child is sick, I don't care because God is my everything? I hope not, because I doubt I will ever be there nor would I ever want anyone else to be there either. Does it mean if I lose a family member I should be happy because I still have God? No, no, no, no. In fact, it is probably the opposite. If God is my everything, I will love everyone and especially those with whom I am close too, with a love that is beyond me. I believe that God is not happy when we are sad, but rather that he truly is on the journey with us. I believe that when we are sad, he is sad. When we cry, he cries. When we go through things, he goes through them with us. So no...he expects us to have emotions and feelings in response to what we are going through.

So, what does it mean to say that God is my everything? I can't say I have all of the answers but I am learning to trust him in the midst of the hardest thing I have ever faced. I think that is all we are asked to do! I think that is all we can do!

So, we will journey on and do our best to walk deeper in our faith with our Creator and who knows, maybe we will understand more and more what it truly means to say, "and all I have in You is more than enough"!

I want to mean what I say!

Grace and Peace!