So keep on saying I won't
and I'll keep proving you wrong
I interrupt the Into the Unknown series to bring you a very special guest post from a fellow young writer and blogger Rachel Judith Leitch. Rachel discovered the book of writing when she was seven. She’s been turning pages ever since! She lives her own American adventure in northern Indiana, with her parents, three sisters, two brothers, and a dog who thinks he’s the hero of her story. When she’s not hidden away penning young adult and middle grade fiction, she’s trying to fit all her reads on her shelf in a somewhat organized manner, rambling through American history, daydreaming at the piano, or teaching students to be just as bookish as she is. In all her adventures, she learns how to shine brighter for the Father of Lights.
You can find lessons drawn from books and movies and other stories, on her blog here https://racheljleitch.weebly.com!
Now lets jump into the story and lesson she pulled out of the song "Say I won't" by MercyMe.
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Have you ever felt like you’re going nowhere?
You have a dream, a passion burning inside you like a rocket. But you’re trapped in traffic just barely creeping forward towards your goals. Or maybe it’s all flying by too fast. Or maybe you keep getting turned down side roads, constantly detouring or backtracking.
Or maybe, just maybe, you’ve slowed to a stop and aren’t going anywhere at all.
Maybe you think you never will fly again.
Say I Won’t by MercyMe speaks into all those situations. It’s a song for the dreamer deep inside all of us.
“Say I won’t,” as used in the chorus of this song, is a dare. Looking at every circumstance that is holding you down and daring it to say that you won’t do any better. That you won’t overcome it. That you can’t fly.
Those lyrics of hope and defiance spark something inside. But how do we act upon them? How do you fly when circumstances are determined to hold you down? We’ll take a look at three ways this song shows us how to fly beyond the world around us.
1. How do you see life?
When you view your life, your world, what do you see?
Do you see the little things that add up to brighten a day? Or do you see only grays and gloom? Do you see all the things that have gotten in your way, all the things that likely will again? Do you see the victories or defeats of the past?
What you see will affect what you do. If you believe a situation is hopeless, you won’t attempt to move forward. If you believe something’s just going to get in your way, your attention will be divided. But if you see the little things that brighten a day, you will keep stepping forward and reaching out.
What you see depends on what lens you look through. It sounds simple, but it’s not really. On our own, we cannot change the lens we look through, at least not permanently. We need the One Who sees all things perfectly to adjust our perspective. And He wants us to ask for help.
Do you see little day brighteners? “Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11) Do you see only grays and gloom? “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord . . .” (Philippians 3:1) Do you see only obstacles? “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) Do you see only the past? “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)
Not only that, but it is also helpful to ask others for a new angle. Often the people who know us best can see an angle that we can’t. So be open to those suggestions.
Look for the raindrops and you will see raindrops. Look for the sunshine and you will see sunshine.
Say I won’t change my perspective.
2. What do you have?
It may not seem like much at first. Maybe you feel like someone else could play your part so much better than you could. Perhaps you feel on the outside looking in. Maybe you feel like you’re not good at much.
The widow and her sons of 2 Kings 4:1-7 certainly did. They had one jar of oil and the creditor was coming to collect that night. If she couldn’t pay, her sons would be taken as slaves. So she came to Elisha and begged him for help.
What did he answer with? “What do you have in your house?”
And when she brought that one jar of oil, it multiplied into more than enough to pay back their creditor and save her sons.
What do you adore? What do you do just because you love it? And how can you use that gift to help others?
Focus on what you have rather than on what you don’t. Tunnel deep to your burning dream and wake it up. Look for the unique abilities and passions that you have, rather than the traffic around you.
That dream was given to you by God. Something unique and special to you, something no one else has or ever can have. Make the most of it.
Don’t just realize what you have, but use it. It is the best way to show gratitude to the One Who gave you it. Take every chance you get to do what God wants you to do, to bless others with your gifts. Be risky. Hold nothing back. Take one step at a time. Your life is waiting on you.
Say I won’t have anything to give.
3. Who are you listening to?
Are you listening to yourself and only yourself? How you feel from day to day, the way you see things? Are you listening to past failures or present influences that say you’re not good enough?
You are every bit good enough because of Who made you and rescued you. So shut the lies out. You have to hear the Spirit’s words before you can recognize lies, so stay in His Word, in prayer, and just listen throughout your daily life. It will change everything. Dare to dream of what so much more might mean.
Say I won’t be good enough.
It is impossible to do any of these things, to even get our feet off the ground without God. We could jump pretty high, but we could never soar. He has been merciful enough to give you this life. He wants to help you. He wants to spend time with You. So ask Him. And let Him teach You to fly. To give You the strength to soar.
What do they say you won’t do? Dare them to keep saying it . . . through Christ Who gives you strength. His sacrifice gave you a standing in His family. And so you have the right and the courage to say you will.
“So keep on saying I won’t. And I’ll keep proving you wrong.”
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Don't forget to check out Rachel's blog here: https://racheljleitch.weebly.com
Whoooooooooa that's good!
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