That All You Got?

One of my favorite singer/songwriters is the British artist Luke Sital-Singh.  If you have never heard of him, you must look him up, download his music, and listen! 

This morning, I was listening to one of his songs, "Nothing Stays The Same," and these lines absolutely struck me: 

We all believe in something that'll rip us into shreds
We all know why it stings to open up your chest
We all show signs of greatness that we hope that someone sees
Our broken teeth are scattered but we're smiling underneath
A thousand bruising muscles still we're running on and on
We all know names that ring like thunder rattling our walls
Everyone is yearning for a reason for a cause
Somewhere deep inside, we're holding on for dear life

Oh dear life. 

These words really spoke to me today.  And they reminded me of another kind of lyricist from the New Testament, the Apostle Paul.  (smooth segue, right?)

In Paul's 2nd Letter to the Corinthians, he writes this: 

8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)

Based on the semi-religious but absolutely spiritual themes in many of Luke Sital-Singh's songs, he might have drawn upon this passage for the above lyrics. It's uncanny how similar they are. 

What I take away from all this today is a sense of triumph, even amid tragedy.  Whatever assails us doesn't get the last word. Sometimes, we might get the stuffing beaten out of us, but whatever (or whoever) delivers it doesn't get to win. 

Both Sital-Singh's song and the Apostle Paul's declaration contain a certain kind of defiant hope.  

In my imagination, this is kind of like the hero in a movie getting beaten up by some villain and his henchmen, and then she looks up from the ground as she slowly rises, wipes the blood from her mouth, and asks, "That all you got, boys?"

Come on! Somebody out there has got to feel this! 

There's also a sense of resurrection in both of these passages.  In Sital-Singh's words, we hear this: "Somewhere deep inside, we are holding on for dear life." 

This resonates with me so profoundly. No matter what may be happening on the outside, we have something within us that still can cling to the defiant hope that life is genuinely "dear" and that restoration and resurrection are possible if we don't let go. 

The Apostle Paul more clearly points to it by saying, "We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."

In other words, our unbreakable connection with Jesus is permeated with the eternal rhythm of dying and rising.  We are walking, talking examples of resurrection, even if we don't fully comprehend it. 

And nothing can break us, truly break us. 

We might feel broken, but there's no way for whatever did the breaking to keep us that way.  We might feel like God has abandoned us, but God is literally inside of us. We might struggle to get up, but we still have strength if we are willing to tap into it. 

So, if you have been feeling like you have gone ten rounds with something in your life that seems to have the better of you, know that it doesn't.  It never will.  

Rise. Get up off the ground.  And say this mantra until you feel it so deeply it aches: 

"That all you got, boys?" 

May it be so, and may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.