Monday, May 13, 2013

Musical Mondays - Building 429 - "Where I Belong

Today's song is by Building 429, called "Where I Belong". I personally have a special place in my heart for this band, because when they were first starting out, they came to my old church for one of their first concerts. My dad did either sound or security for them, I can't remember which. (He also did security for Skillet when they first started out in the 90's, because that's how cool he is.)


Sometimes it feels like I'm watching from the outside
Sometimes it feels like I'm breathing but am I alive
I won't keep searching for answers that aren't here to find

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

So when the walls come falling down on me
And when I'm lost in the current of a raging sea
I have this blessed assurance holding me.

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

When the earth shakes I wanna be found in You
When the lights fade I wanna be found in You

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong
[x2]

Where I belong, where I belong
Where I belong, where I belong

So, first off, I really enjoy this song. I first heard it when it came out about a year and a half ago, and it really spoke to me during a time when I wasn't quite sure I was where I was supposed to be in general everyday life.

Sometimes it feels like I'm watching from the outside
Sometimes it feels like I'm breathing but am I alive
I won't keep searching for answers that aren't here to find

This first verse communicates what I think every Christian struggles with at some point in time. We look around our world and we're looking for a place to fit in and serve God, but we see that we don't fit in. We aren't apart of the big group, we're standing out on the edges, looking into the where the "party" is going on. We feel like outsiders. Sometimes, because we are human, we get extremely discouraged by this. I think sometimes Christians are much more susceptible nowadays to fall under the trap of depression and similar issues, because we have been taught that Christianity is easy. When we find out that it's not, Satan can get a hold of us and tell us how worthless we are. The second line, "Sometimes I feel like I'm breathing, but am I alive", is so relevant to me personally. I will go through periods of time where I just feel completely worthless. I feel like a waste of space, and I end up just going through the motions. I'm transitioning out of one of those phases right now.  We all ask questions that don't have answers we would understand as humans in this life. One day, we will be able to understand why God does certain things, what other things mean, how something happened. But right now, the whole basis of our relationship with Christ is our faith.

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

The chorus of this song is a common theme in Contemporary Christian music. It all stems from the idea that we are only passing through this world; we are aliens in a foreign land. And although this has been touched upon in other songs, it never gets old because it's true. Honestly, how can one think about the "suffering" Western Christians say they have to deal with when they have a constant reminder about how much better it is going to be in heaven. Of course you're going to be persecuted, you are in an enemy's territory. How do you Americans feel when you see a Muslim in traditional clothing walking around your local Wal-Mart? You feel contempt, because this "is not where they belong". (Because as much as the media and politicians deny it, America still considers itself to be a Christian country, and many people, especially Southerners, believe that Muslims are evil and should be deported because of the bad reputation their religion has.) This world that we are living in is not where we belong either. As a Christian we are a citizen of heaven, not earth. We're just here as messengers.


So when the walls come falling down on me
And when I'm lost in the current of a raging sea
I have this blessed assurance holding me

Because we know that what we go through here is temporary, we know that no matter what happens, nothing can break us down. When life comes crashing down around you and you can't even think straight anymore, you have a hope in your salvation through Jesus' death on the cross. That assurance, knowing that nothing can separate you from your Savior, is overwhelming sometimes. Because even if you go through dark trials, He's still there. And nothing is ever going to change that.


When the earth shakes I wanna be found in You
When the lights fade I wanna be found in You

Personally, I never want to be away from Christ. When things happen, you have to be close to Him, or you start to doubt, you start say "Why?" And that's when you run the risk of turning your back on God. And trust me, I started down that road, and even the little bit I saw was not good. It's not fun to be without God at any point in time, so why fall away when anything could happen?

Constantly growing,
Emily E.

No comments:

Post a Comment