Wednesday Wisdom: Where Joy Lives
I've known God for a long time. And one thing I know is he doesn't like being told where he can and can't be.
I see Him a lot at church. I know He loves to see us there. It's kind of fun that I get to work there, because it's a place he shows up a lot. But I see him lots of other places as well. A few weeks ago I saw him at Wendy's, in a conversation with the man working the register. I see him on the light rail or at the library.
Sometimes I hear people say that the tragedies that have happened within our public schools have been because God's "not allowed" there anymore. I don't understand these words, because I see him there all the time. They say we're not allowed to talk to him there. But that's funny too because I talk to him there pretty often. God's not like us. He doesn't passive aggressively pout when he doesn't get a formal invitation in the mail from the people in charge. He doesn't need it.
Last night I saw God at an Avett brother's concert. They took us to church. They're not from Hillsong, Northpoint or Bethel. But, God doesn't like to be told what kind of record label he has to stick to. He doesn't even mind if it's produced by Rick Ruben. In fact, I secretly wonder if he might be a fan.
I'm going to be a music snob for a second. Or maybe just a solid six on the enneagram, with my loyalty, but I need you to know that I am not a bandwagon fan of the Avett brothers. This is my fourth Avett concert. I feel like we've been through a lot with these guys. And have learned a lot with them.
First I have learned that success can not be measured by popularity or possessions, but rather in terms of relationships. A common theme in their songs is a resistance to the temptation of materialism and an emphasis on the things that last.
I have learned that while all feelings can be beautiful and valid, joy is a choice. The band doesn't pretend this isn't a broken world. Their music spans an enormous spectrum of human emotions and experiences. We've been fans through their melancholy albums, and some slightly somber performances. We named our heaven-born baby, Eleanor, after a line from their song, "I was a child before, the day that I met Eleanor." The songs from the album "The Carpenter" became the soundtrack to our trip through Yosemite to help spread Jina's ashes. We listened to albums they'd written during bassist Bob Crawford's daughter's cancer treatment and Seth Avett's divorce. And the rawness was hauntingly beautiful.
But there's something else beautiful I noticed brewing in this band's tone. Joy. Decisive joy. And hope and grace. Despite knowing how broken the world is. Because joy is a choice.
There's always been that element in their lyrics. From "Head Full of Doubt" in 2009 they told us:
When nothing is owed or deserved or expected
And your life doesn't change by the one that's elected
If you're loved by someone, you're never rejected
Decide what to be and go be it
But now I see them suddenly even more "flooded in light" as they sing their newest hit, "High Stepper." And there's a defiance against letting circumstances guide your outlook in "Ain't No Man":
I see Him a lot at church. I know He loves to see us there. It's kind of fun that I get to work there, because it's a place he shows up a lot. But I see him lots of other places as well. A few weeks ago I saw him at Wendy's, in a conversation with the man working the register. I see him on the light rail or at the library.
Sometimes I hear people say that the tragedies that have happened within our public schools have been because God's "not allowed" there anymore. I don't understand these words, because I see him there all the time. They say we're not allowed to talk to him there. But that's funny too because I talk to him there pretty often. God's not like us. He doesn't passive aggressively pout when he doesn't get a formal invitation in the mail from the people in charge. He doesn't need it.
Last night I saw God at an Avett brother's concert. They took us to church. They're not from Hillsong, Northpoint or Bethel. But, God doesn't like to be told what kind of record label he has to stick to. He doesn't even mind if it's produced by Rick Ruben. In fact, I secretly wonder if he might be a fan.
I'm going to be a music snob for a second. Or maybe just a solid six on the enneagram, with my loyalty, but I need you to know that I am not a bandwagon fan of the Avett brothers. This is my fourth Avett concert. I feel like we've been through a lot with these guys. And have learned a lot with them.
First I have learned that success can not be measured by popularity or possessions, but rather in terms of relationships. A common theme in their songs is a resistance to the temptation of materialism and an emphasis on the things that last.
I have learned that while all feelings can be beautiful and valid, joy is a choice. The band doesn't pretend this isn't a broken world. Their music spans an enormous spectrum of human emotions and experiences. We've been fans through their melancholy albums, and some slightly somber performances. We named our heaven-born baby, Eleanor, after a line from their song, "I was a child before, the day that I met Eleanor." The songs from the album "The Carpenter" became the soundtrack to our trip through Yosemite to help spread Jina's ashes. We listened to albums they'd written during bassist Bob Crawford's daughter's cancer treatment and Seth Avett's divorce. And the rawness was hauntingly beautiful.
But there's something else beautiful I noticed brewing in this band's tone. Joy. Decisive joy. And hope and grace. Despite knowing how broken the world is. Because joy is a choice.
There's always been that element in their lyrics. From "Head Full of Doubt" in 2009 they told us:
When nothing is owed or deserved or expected
And your life doesn't change by the one that's elected
If you're loved by someone, you're never rejected
Decide what to be and go be it
But now I see them suddenly even more "flooded in light" as they sing their newest hit, "High Stepper." And there's a defiance against letting circumstances guide your outlook in "Ain't No Man":
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