Jesus....and Taylor Swift

I have not posted a blog since the summer, but yes-you guessed it-as part of my "new years resolution" to myself (which I refer to as my 2011 Bucket List) I am going to start blogging more. Which leads me into today's topic of Taylor Swift and Jesus Christ. How do these two figures have anything to do with each other what so ever? (Go with me on this)

I am going to admit it to the world. I am a Taylor Swift fan. Yes, I said it. I like Taylor Swift. (10 second pause for cracking jokes at me aaaaannnnnnddddd.......end scene) Taylor Swift is unique in that she is a young girl who has a voice. She has already tackeled two obstacles that people have been fighting to tackle for decades and continue to fight everyday, and that is 1. being female and 2. being young. I enjoy Taylor's writing (as cheesy as alot of it is) because she expresses herself so well. Her stuff may be juvenile, but that is because she is just a kid who deals everyday with things that teenagers have to deal with. Her latest album titled SpeaK NoW is a compilation of songs whose lyrics were written for someone specific. As Taylor usually does there are several about past boyfriends, some who broke her heart and some whom she broke theirs. There are songs to people who have been mean or hateful to her. There are songs about being enchanted by meeting someone new. Although I am not normally a fan at all of songs that ensenuate not being able to live without someone (because all people can be lived without, it is God that we need) I am still a fan of Taylor simply because she has been given a voice and is not afraid to use it.

So, you might be thining, how does this have anything to do with God? I had dinner last night with two amazing women of God, both who inspire me fully with every word that comes out of their mouth. We got onto the subject about living radically for the Lord, and how it isn't really radical at all because living that way is how we were created to live all along. We all go to different denominations, but none of us consider ourselves "baptist" or "church of christ" or whatever else. We are followers of God and lovers of Christ and trying to make the world a better place by spreading His word and His love to everyone we encounter. Given that we are all young and all female we have all been (or will be) faced with the challenges of finding and using our voices.

God has given all of us a voice. So often I find myself in a situation where for a split second I consider doing something or doing nothing. For example, have you ever passed a car that is broken down on the side of the road and for a split second as you drive you wonder, should I stop? Usually in cases where we have that decision to make, fear dictates our decision and we continue driving. Or for younger people, have you ever seen that kid at a lunch table or outside all alone and wanted to go up to them but were scared of what your friends might think or say? Fear wins, and we stay behind. Why do we as humans give fear so much power? An answer I have for myself is more times than not it is easier to just do nothing than to do something.

Imagine a world where satans attempts to manipulate us with fear failed. A world where when you saw a car broken down on the side of the road you stopped to help, or prayed for help, or called someone who could help. A world where kids do not feel alone on this planet because other kids step out of their fear and simply go sit with them at lunch. I have not read yet nor do I believe that we can control what satan attempts to do to us. But I 100% believe that we DON'T have to listen to him.

I do not know Taylor Swift personally, so I don't know if she is a Christian. But if she used her brilliant words and cunning lyrics to write about God's Love for us, about satan's tricks and staying clear of giving him power that isn't his to have, about being Saved by the blood of the Lamb, about a love and a rescue so great that it puts movies like the Notebook to shame, etc etc etc....then her VOICE that she has been given, will reach millions of people who before hearing about it, might not have known any of that.

We are all given a voice. We are tools for God to spread His Love and His Story. I feel that those nudges of " Should I stop and help that person?" "Should I go talk to that kid?" and SO many more split second thoughts of doing something or doing nothing, are HOLY SPIRIT NUDGES-guiding us to live outside of our fear, and to do SOMETHING. to say SOMETHING. or as Taylor would say, to SPEAK NOW!

Maybe your voice isnt talking. Maybe your voice is painting. Maybe it is writing. Maybe it is singing. Maybe it is playing an instrument, or coaching a team, or photography. God gives us talents so that we can use them to GLORIFY Him, but so often we get wrapped up in our gift and forget to give Him the praise. We have a voice in our gifts, so what would happen if we started using that voice?

If painters started painting in worship for the King. If photographers took pictures of Creation to share God's message. If football coaches brought the Gospel into team meetings instead of the playbook. If songwriters, like Taylor Swift, wrote songs about God's love.

What would happen if we decided to speak now?

In Him,
Meg