Staring Through Bars (Part 1)

 

 

There was a popular song back in 1992 written and performed by Tori Amos, appropriately titled “Crucify.” The lyrics and melody of this song have haunted my mind for several weeks as I prepared to pen this series of posts. To me, this amplified that the Lord wanted it to be used as an example for you; giving you a glimpse of a person struggling vs. a person being sanctified (those walking with the Lord or otherwise). The reason “Crucify” gained popularity with my generation was because we both recognized and related to the angst therein.

Ms. Amos is a preacher’s daughter who was sexually violated at some point in time before she wrote this song. She, as many artists do, found a way to express her struggle through her work, which is rather raw: her emotional lyrics and singing style, painfully resonated to our human experience. Life, you see, even if you are walking with the Lord, is a constant motion intended to be like Newton’s Laws of Physics.

1. Everything in motion stays in motion

2. An object with a certain velocity maintains that velocity unless a force acts on it to cause an acceleration (that is, a change in the velocity).

3. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

You may wonder why I would equate sanctification with physics? It’s simple:

1. If you don’t stay in a forward motion (moving forward and not backward) in a situation, an emotion or in time, you are stuck. In life, if we do not walk completely through something difficult, we become stagnant and fruitless. If we do not keep moving in a positive, forward motion how can goodness and mercy follow us as promised in Psalm 23:6?

2. What events in your life have either changed, or forced change in your outlook, personality, level of fear, etc.? No matter what that was, the velocity (or force at which it impacted you) of said event brought on change, either positive or negative. For this instance, we’ll assume the identity of a negative impact and how it effected life as you knew it: after said occurrence, what did it propel you toward? Did it provoke you to want to be better, stronger, more vocal? Or, did the impact destabilize your very being? Either are a choice: A) You move forward, determined to overcome – or – B) You sit in the corner – dwelling in it and crying. If you are in Christ (or not) let’s pray you chose option A.

3) The best example I can give of an equal and opposite reaction: Jesus willfully walking the earth for 33 years, and building a ministry, despite knowing his fate was to die on the cross for our sins. (Enough said!)

You may be wondering how this lesson in physics relates to Ms. Amos’ work? She was an example of the laws of motion:

1) By not allowing herself to remain a victim. She (maybe immediately, maybe eventually…but regardless) made a choice to stay in a forward motion and brought what happened into the light, for keeping it in the dark, keeps you in bondage.

2) Allowing the impact of what happened in her life to force her into a place that may have been frightening but she used it in a positive way to impact others (she founded RAINN, Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network), accelerating awareness and I’m sure, over time, her own ability to heal. Instead of staring through bars of bondage, she broke them.

3) Through her artistry…her voice, Ms. Amos was victorious (she became a very successful musician) over something horrible that was probably a device meant to destroy her.

How does all of this relate to sanctification through Jesus? Find out in Part 2!

(This post absolutely reflects how a) I am a complete nerd and b) that indeed GOD can and will use any means possible to speak to us…I use the Laws of Physics in relation to life often and people sort of scratch their heads at me, but luckily I’m able to show them examples which lead to understanding.)