Something Beautiful, Pt. 2!

"Hey, now, this is my desire: Consume me like a fire. 'Cause I just want something beautiful to touch me. I know that I'm in reach, 'cause I am down on my knees, waiting for something beautiful."

I've said it before, and i'll say it again. Music is the greatest thing ever created. For the composer and the person that wrote the lyrics, it's a huge way that they can express themselves, but then it's open to everyone else to take what they have written and apply it to their own lives;to interpret it their own way. No piece of music will touch two people in the exact same way. Music connects you to your past: who, where, and what you were in that very moment. Music sets moods, makes memories, and so much more. My interpretation of 'Something Beautiful' by Needtobreathe (previous post) will probably be very different than yours. But it changed me, and has quickly become one of my greatest prayers.

In the beginning, the song speaks of how in the 'ocean i'm ankle-deep'. Consider that for a second. How often do we do this? We stand, looking out into this vast pool of God's love, yet we choose to stay merely ankle deep. While God is longing for us to just let go, let him cover us, and show us an entirely different world than the one we are currently seeing, we stand ankle-deep, just enough to say that we're in the ocean, but refusing to go any farther. 'But it's safe here! I'm sure of my footing, I can pull myself out if I need to, and fully content to stay right here, where I'm comfortable.'... just one of about a billion excuses we come up with. When, in reality, we're choosing to stay staring at the murky shore-water, with the smell of way too much sunscreen, someone's loud and obnoxious music playing, and look at people that really shouldn't be wearing that bathing suit walking right down the beach doing that very thing. We sit here and stare at this when God has the ability, and wants to show us Coral Reefs and Seaweed forest's... things so full of color and life we couldn't even imagine it ourselves. But we're scared. When we fully release everything to God, we are giving up our control. I think about this like a jellyfish. They have absolutely no control whatsoever over where they go, they just trust the water to get them there. While they don't know where they are going, they are also armed with everything they need to survive, much like God does for us. We just need to get away from the shore, dive in, and let his love take us where we need to go. Yes, you are correct. With a vast expanse of water comes the ability to drown. But, isn't that what Jesus came for? To SAVE us? He'll be our life raft. He provides for us so that we don't drown, yet he still allows us to be completely submerged in God's love. How cool is that?!

Then, my favorite part, the chorus. It's become a regular prayer for me. 'Hey, now, this is my desire: consume me like a fire. I just want something beautiful to touch me.' It's so simple, yet we make it so difficult. Please, God, consume me like a fire. Take away all visibility of my features, and make yours visible. Make it so that all I can see is you. Wrap me in your embrace and keep me there. Shine your light and life through me. Touch me. Can you imagine how the disciples must have felt? The hands of God literally touched them. He washed their feet! There are so many days when I feel that touch. From just a fingerprint on my heart, to an all-out embrace, I feel his touch. There's no touch like it, and there never will be. He's so much greater than anything we imagine. Let Him touch you. Let Him consume you. Get lost in his ocean of love, and trust Jesus not to let you drown. Let Him show you the whole new world out there once you discover His love. It's so much more worth it than you'll ever know. If you have taken that jump, that dive into God's love, how has it affected your life? Isn't it better than you ever imagined? I'd love to hear... (and to know that I'm not talking to myself)...(: Thanks!

Love,

Sarah