Let It Go - Modified for Christ, Disclaimer

  

I have a 6 year old son and 4 year old daughter who have been captivated by “Frozen” (along with most of the country!)  Thanks to Grandma we own the movie and the soundtrack.  

And thus my musical kiddos with fabulous memories have most of the lyrics memorized.  So much so that now Mommy and Daddy can sing along with many of the songs because they have been sung so much!  We both will still often get teared up when we hear “Let it Go” or “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” 

These are powerful songs. 

They touch something deep in the soul.  Touch those wounded, broken places of the heart.  The places which long to be healed and long to be free.

So, to clarify, my modifications are not because I find something wrong with the original.  Part of why they are powerful is because they are good.

On a beautiful Autumn morning on the last Saturday of October in 2014, I was riding my road bike down the hill at the back of my neighborhood going 30 miles per hour.  Now some people love that rush.  However, I am a first born daughter with a bountiful supply of caution (much like Elsa) and prefer a little more control of my two tiny, narrow tires.

I left the house minutes before feeling burdened by the weight of anxiety – over the day’s schedule, over the out-of-control pile of paperwork, over marital tensions, over the unknowns of our foster care future…

And as I’m speeding down this hill, I think “let it go” and then I start to sing “Let it Go” and then I start to alter the words to align with my Christ-centered world view.  The rest of my 30 minute ride was spent worshipping God through “Let it Go.”  I was so excited to get home, find the original lyrics, and compile a full version that I can sing to the Lord and remind my way-ward heart when it is easy to be burdened by the weight of this world…Let it Go…My God is big enough anyway!

I am not musical nor a poet by nature.  The product of this was a result of the inspiration of The Holy Spirit and the reality that “Let it Go” has a message that speaks to the soul…that soul created by Christ Himself.  There wasn’t much that needed to be altered to make it a song appropriate to sing as worship to The King of Kings...because the song has so much Truth in it to begin with!  It's almost as if the original authors were Christians and changed a few things for Hollywood!?!

I hope this amateur piece blesses your soul and you are able to experience True Freedom and thus Freely Worship Your Big God!

"Let It Go" Modified for Christ

(See Disclaimer)

Original Lyrics by: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

  Modified for Kingdom for Christ by: “LordLetMeLearn”

The grace glows white in my heart tonight
Not a demon to be seen
A kingdom of peace,
And my King is The King.

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn't fight the fears, heaven knows I tried!

Don't let them in, don't let them see
Be the perfect person you think have to be
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know
Well, now I know!

Let it go, let it go
Can't have bondage anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn from sin and live for more!

I don't care
What they're going to say
Let the storm rage on,
My God is big enough anyway!

It's funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can't get to me at all!

It's time to see what I can do
To test my faith and hold true
His Love, His Strength, He rules in me…I'm free!

Let it go, let it go
I am one with the Spirit and Christ
Let it go, let it go
No need to live a lie!

Here I stand
And here I'll stay
Let the storm rage on!

His power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in faith-filled fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
Take captive to Christ because
The past is in the past!

Let it go, let it go

He’ll rise with the break of dawn (Is. 58:8)
Let it go, let it go
The need to be perfect is gone!

Here I stand
In the Light of day
Let the storm rage on,
My God is big enough anyway!

Resonating...

I read three things this afternoon during my Sabbath Rest and those three things READ ME:

1) Gary Thomas' "Sacred Parenting" - Sacrifice: How Raising Children Teaches Us to Sacrifice - pgs. 178-188
~ "While we find it easy to "open up" a spiritual gift, it's not so easy to lay one down on God's behalf."
~ "Christianity was birthed in sacrifice and calls us to many acts of sacrifice."..."On the back of Christ's sacrifice"
~ "How do kids get nurtured with the active love, available counsel, and prayerful presence they so desperately need?  On the backs of their mothers' sacrifices, that's how."
~ "Sometimes responsibility, loyalty, and maturity call us to willingly lay down our dreams for the sake of those we love - and in the hope that hose who come after us can accomplish even more than we could."
~ "However 'important' we may think we are, we should expect that God can do even more important things through our children.  It is our duty to give them our full attention and our best effort, hoping that they can build on this to become influential Christians themselves..." (not becoming so busy with their "own ministries")
~ Matthew 14

A Post To Come to explain how reading this chapter read me...

2) John Eldredge's "Walking with God" - 'Learning How to Listen', 'Whole and Holy', 'Making Room for Joy' -  pgs. 25 - 41
~ Since being introduced to "God Guides", I have entered the adventure of *Listening to God*.  Not as immediately, regularly, or well as I would like, but a desire fulfilled more in the last year than ever before...and I call that Spiritual Growth.  To read Eldredge's explanation of how he "Learned to Listen" resonates with me.  I am encouraged to know I am not alone in Learning to be a Listener and that he's teaching others too!
~ Whole and Holy - Holiness is a calling I am so conscious to strive for and again I sometimes feel alone is my intensity of that striving.  Wholeness/healing is also a drumbeat in my heart (connected to "Post To Come" above).  And Eldredge articulates it in a way that I say, "YES!"  "You can't find the holiness you want without deep wholeness.  And you can't find the wholeness you want without deep holiness."  Holiness of Christ --> Healing -->  Wholeness --> Holiness
~ Eldredge heard from God on "Making Room for Joy" and this brought tears to my eyes - again, I am not alone in my struggle to experience the Christian Joy... that Joy that is just supposed to overflow from me because I Know Christ!?!?

3) Ann Voskamp's website "A Holy Experience"
One post on how she feels like she's "just not getting it all right".  Again, brought tears to my eyes...this is a woman I do not know personally, but I have been ministered to deeply through her website writings.  I admire her walk with God, being a decade or so down the road from me.  I want to learn from her, because what she writes about resonates with what I want to grow in.  And then to read that she feels inadequate "just like me."  I am not alone - in my striving for holiness and God's sweet reminders to rely humbly on Him!  In Ann Voskamp's own words, "Praise not Perfection; Grace not Grindstone."  And what perfect timing as I am flailing in getting life back to "normal" after three weeks of upheaval due to my mother-in-law's illness and death, return home from a funeral, and decide on, buy, wrap, and mail Christmas presents!  And then to read her next post...and cry more...this too is my heart's cry for a radical Christmas.


40 Days of Surrender - Day 61 - Surrender "Getting it all right" NOW - For a list of the "Daily Lesson" titles in the 40 Days of Surrender in one place, Click Here.

40 Days of Surrender - Day 16

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - Surrender Self-Sufficiency

Since I was little I have strove for independence, which has developed into self-sufficiency.  I have been convicted by it a number of times since trusting Christ, but it is certainly deeply rooted.  During my study of 1 Peter 4 this morning, I was struck by verse 11. Verse 10 says, " As each has received a gift, use it to serve on another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:" followed by verse 11, "whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God, whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies - in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.  To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."  "Whoever serves, as on who serves by the strength that God supplies"...Theologically, I know in my head that "apart from Christ I can do nothing" (John 15:5), but in practice I tend to serve out of "my skills and abilities."

The LORD has brought me to an interesting place in my "serving" this year.  Our family has committed, at least this school year, to serve a ministry to teen parents.  I've known about the ministry for the 7 years of its existence and always "had a heart for it," knowing these were needing girls (and guys) and little kids.  After studying James our small group was convicted to reach out to the poor, the widow, the orphan more and chose this ministry.  God demonstrates his heart throughout scripture for the helpless and the hopeless through His special concern for the moneyless (poor) , the homeless (sojourner), the husbandless (widow or unwed mother), the fatherless (orphan), and the childless (barren).  These teen parents (and their children) often fall in the first four of those five "helpless and hopeless" categories.

Our family has taken a extra step of involvement and I have started to get to know the girls in more of a mentorship capacity.  And this is what I have learned: I am ill-equipped!  And that is such a GOOD place for me to be as it forces me to "serve by the strength (and wisdom) God supplies"!  These girls come from backgrounds of generational poverty and family/personal brokenness and issues that I cannot related to nor have I dealt with in my meager Christian leadership training.  Normally when I feel inadequate, I would tend to feel useless and defeated.  However, although those temptations have surfaced, I have been able to respond to them with a humility and trust in God to work in and through me.  So, ministering to these teen parents (in their life issues more than in their parenting skills) is a specific way I am learning the beauty of surrendering self-sufficiency and there is certainly splash-over lessons in all areas of my life!


For a list of all the daily lesson titles in the 40 Days of Surrender in one place, Click Here.

Perfect is the enemy of...

...Good Enough.

My husband is a structural engineer - he puts complicated math equations to big hunks of concrete to make buildings stand up.  He lives by the motto: "Perfect is the enemy of good enough."  As he's calculating, he could spend lots of time (and time = money) to come up with the strongEST, cheapEST, most "perfect" combination when a strong enough, cost effective calculation is "good enough."  People are safe without costing too much on the manufacturer; to spend more time to make it perfect could cost enough more money that it's NOT worth it to be "perfect."

My dear husband has helped me apply this principle on the home front as well.  As a recovering perfectionist, I'm learning when good enough is good enough.

I was journaling yesterday morning.  I was processing with the LORD about something specific. It related to timing on when to do something and how best to go about it.  I was thinking of how there is what I consider the "right way," which would be the "perfect" way, following the plan to the "T."  But for this recovering perfectionist who has followed a similar plan to the "T" before, that was quite overwhelming and I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to THAT.  I wrote in my journal, "I guess if I am spending money to do it, I might as well 'do it right' or at least 'do it well.'"  And then my mind (a.k.a the Holy Spirit, sometimes:)) took me on a rabbit trail (the thought processes that are exactly why this blog outlet is a blessing to me:))...Writing the word "Well" made me think of Matthew 25:21,23 "Well done, good and faithful servant...."

No where in that passage is the master asking for perfection.  The servant is commended for being faithful, for being good, for "doing well."

This specific instance I was processing with the LORD is not connected to an area of sin or even a character issue.  It does involve staying in step with the Spirit, a heart of obedience, and a sensitivity to the LORD, but shouldn't all things!?!

It made me think of the process of sanctification that we are all in.  The word "process" implies in and of itself that there is going to be imperfection.  How freeing!  Not that that is an excuse TO sin (Romans 6:1,2), but in the instances where we step out on our own strength instead of walking with the Spirit, when our rebellious hearts choose our own way instead of submitting in obedience, when I am not being sensitive to the LORD's presence - in those times of the PROCESS, I can cling to GRACE instead of feeling defeated by the enemy of perfectionism.  I can pause, take a deep breath in the present presence of The Great I AM and get back in step with the Spirit, remembering Titus 3:5.