Fighter

The presets in my car are Christian music and country, so when something rock-ish is playing, I almost always assume it's a Christian band. One day I pop into my car and the first song that comes on has a great beat that grabs my attention immediately. My assumption is that I am hearing a Christian song. If you don't have children with you, you may listen to it here (the video is pretty inspirational!). I apologize for the language--it was my first clue that maybe this wasn't a Christian song per se--but in truth, I appreciate the lyrics.

Give em h***
Turn their heads
Gonna live life till we're dead
Give me scars
Give me pain
And they'll say to me, "There goes a fighter."

The bridge says, "Till both your eyes start to swell/till the referee rings the bell/till the crowd goes home/what we gonna do, kid?"

I remember Lizzye laying on the couch crying because she knew she couldn't fail classes and stay in cosmetology and she just didn't know how to pull things together and be good enough. I said, "We will make it work, baby" and her reply was, "You always say that, but it never turns out." A semester of homeschool in 8th grade when Mom wasn't home enough to teach. Two years of failing grades in high school. No friends, no job, no church home...how could she trust me?

But I knew what was inside of me: a strong determination that my child would be successful. Circumstances may look bad, but the God of the universe loves us, and we will battle our way through this. We may have a bad track record over the last few years, but that is not the end of our story. It's just a blip that makes the final outcome even better.

Maybe it's because I live in the capitol of the Bible belt, surrounded by preachers who preach wealth and happiness in this lifetime...but I resonate with the lines, "Give me scars/Give me pain" as a Christian. Not that I am eager for suffering, but we are called to suffer with Christ. I am challenged to give up my comfort to make a difference, not seek my own satisfaction in a hurting world. Would that we who call ourselves by the name "like Christ" be willing to sacrifice our own personal heaven in order to walk alongside those still who still hurt, still need. May we live life till we're dead.