Not As Strong As We Think We Are

One element of Lent that comes to the forefront of my mind often is the remembrance of the frailty of life.  I think I am especially in tune with this in my Lenten focus over other times of the year for several reasons, but today in particular, I know exactly why. 

Over the past week or so, I've been listening to all of the Rich Mullins that I have in my ipod, which is pretty much all the songs he released.  I find his work to be beyond description, his lyrics so challenging and profound, his music (in general) timeless in its execution.  If you're not familiar with Rich Mullins's music, start with his greatest hits collection, simply entitled "Songs."  It's a great sampling from the span of his career from the beginning in the late 80's to about 1994.  Rich died in a tragic car accident on his way to a youth rally in 1996, but he remains a powerful voice.

Anyway, last night I heard one of the songs on "Songs" (along with well known hits like "Awesome God," "Sometimes by Step," "Hold Me Jesus," and "Sing Your Praise to the Lord") for the first time in a long time; a song recorded just for the "Songs" collection called "We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are."  In general the song is about how conflict can drive a wedge between people so easily.  The chorus reminds us of the paradoxes present in every element of life:

"We are frail, we are fearfully and wonderfully made
  Forged in the fires of human passion
  Choking on the fumes of selfish rage
  And with these our hells and our heavens so few inches apart
  We must be awfully small and not as strong as we think we are."

Another thing contributing to my focus on frailty today is a movie I watched last night called Requiem for A Dream.  It is the story of four people seeking the American dream in their own way and destroying themselves in the process, particularly through various forms of addiction.  The ending in particular got so under my skin that I still haven't been able to shake the feeling I got from watching the film.  It is scary, heartbreaking, and definately not for the faint of heart, but it is also an unforgettable illustration of how easily we fall victim to ourselves and the sinful nature that plagues us all.

 It's all a reminder that the mantra of "you can't trust anyone, but yourself" is so destructive to who we are made to be.  We are not made to go through life alone; God made us for relationships, first to Him and then to one another.  This is clearly stated in the great commandment:  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength...and love your neighbor as yourself."  Yet, so easily I go back to that old lie that I can do it better on my own.  Yes, I am frail, but He is strong, always has been and always will be.  From eternity to eternity, He is God! and He is more trustworthy than we are to ourselves.  We may not be as strong as we think we are, but He is stronger than we can possibly imagine.