Twisted Sister
I don’t know if it’s just a Bible Belt thing, but as a follower of Jesus I’ve become accustomed to some common Christian-ese language.
“Let me connect you with so-and-so…she’s a sister in Christ” (another way of saying a fellow Believer in Jesus). I use the same language myself sometimes— it has seeped into my dialect like shades of southern accent I’ve acquired these past 20+ years since moving from St. Louis to Nashville.
The older I get, the more I make an effort to be more careful and prayerful with word-wielding. The Bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), and I’ve come to realize that even when I think I’m speaking life, the words I’m saying can be twisted to have a completely different meaning than I intended.
Moms of teenagers — can I get a witness?! We all have filters that we process information through, and what we speak as encouragement or assurance can get topsy turvy’ed through their filter. An example that comes to mind from my own youth: my personal filter-sifter heard the words “I see you as a dreamer” — spoken by one of my teachers back in high school -- into this seed of message planted in my heart: I have lots of creative ideas that will never be more than daydreams never realized.
All these years later, if I were to tell anyone I believed that interpretation of the words my teacher spoke, they’d probably tell me I’m crazy for believing such a thing. They could counter that I’ve followed my dreams to Nashville. They might remind me that they’ve seen me sing at the legendary Bluebird Café, or that they have Lisa Hentrich music albums in their CD collection. They may even say something like, “Girrrrl whatchoo talkin’ about…you have a song recorded by THE Reba McEntire! You have ARRIVED!”.
But, ah… “The Caveat”—another filtered seed.
According to music industry standards, there’s arriving and there’s not-quite-hitting-the-big-time. I have songs on major label artist records (some that have been played on the radio)… BUT… no “official singles”. Some songs I’ve written have charted, BUT… they didn’t reach the top 10 or become a #1 charted song.
Even now, with that Reba-recorded “God And My Girlfriends” tune on a Dove- and Grammy-winning album, there’s always a “BUT” that echoes from my years in the music industry trenches… Wellll the album did win those awards, BUT what about your SONG on that album, did IT get an award?
I now realize that when I walked away from my music after losing my singing voice seven years ago, I unconsciously carried with me that “unsuccessful by music industry standards” label…which became a LOSER trophy on the dream shelf of my heart.
Sometimes, the labels we're stuck with are real. Someone else put them there, and we let them stick. Other times, WE PUT THEM THERE OURSELVES — through a faulty filter. Either way, we don’t have to stay stuck with labels that are liable to lie to us about our identity!
Here’s the good news—the God-news—about why we don’t have to stay stuck with liable labels:
He resurrects. He redeems. He renews.
We have the ability to recognize that which has consumed, disappointed, shamed, embarrassed, rejected, or condemned us. We can change our faulty filter to a faith filter.
How? By putting God FIRST in our lives. Seeking FIRST His Kingdom and righteousness — rather than the world’s approval, affirmation and accolades. When we do that, THIS is what God does with each of our liable labels:
He uncovers them. He unsticks them. And He reveals where they REALLY originated.
Whether the label-maker turns out to be our own tongue-twisted truths (both spoken or voiced in thoughts we tell ourselves), or whether it’s situations when “not-enough” comments by others have taken root inside of us, God exposes them for what they really are: lies we’ve believed as truth. When we invite The One Who IS the way, the truth and the life to start doing the sifting, He shines His light on the truth thereby removing any power those labels once had. Beyond this, He exposes the hidden label-maker of all lies: satan.
In closing, this blog is my way of expressing that in the twists and turns of life, I know I’ve been a bit of a “Twisted Sister” in Christ at times. Thankfully, I’m in the midst of a mind-makeover. God is making my twisted paths—and any mindsets that need correcting—straight. I am making a consciously continuous effort to believe The Great I AM instead of the liable labels of the past. His Word says I am "fearfully and wonderfully made" for a special Kingdom purpose…and from now on, I’m sticking with that.
“In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3:6.