lumps of coal

a few days ago i was looking through my phone for music, and came across an album that i hadn't listened to in a while. so, i had a listen, and came back across a song that i love: plumb's "nice, naive, and beautiful." if you've never heard it you can have a listen:

the end of this song is the part i think of and sing over and over every time i hear it. 

if you've been there you know

if you're still there hang on

we're all dealt our lumps of coal

what you do with it can turn beautiful

well there's a life outside of your madness

and there's a face behind every scar

but there's a love overflowing with gladness

get out of that place that's restraining your love.

there is a beautiful truth to that - and in that sense the name of the album is apt. beautiful lumps of coal.

we all have something to deal with in our lives. we are all broken people. our humanness means that we are broken. those two things go hand in hand. but it's the next line -- yes, we all have our lumps of coal; we are each dealt a share of "stuff," but it's the part about what you do with it. that is the beautiful part. coal is ugly and dirty. there is a reason why "naughty" children get coal from santa at christmas.

but it doesn't have to stay ugly and dirty. it can be refined. and redeemed. we can be refined and redeemed. too often i miss that on a daily basis. i forget that i have been redeemed. i forget that i'm in the process of being sanctified.

the other piece of this is the reminder that there is a face behind every scar. we have to stop looking at people and getting scared off by the scars. we all have them - visible or invisible. we need to stop acting like we don't. and more than that, today and everyday we need to remember the love that's overflowing with gladness.

get out of that place that's restraining your love.

xo,

katie