Slow Fade

So I accidentally knocked a button on my CD player and it starting playing the song "Lifesong" from Casting Crowns. Because it was unexpected noise and very quickly and promptly turned of my CD player when I realized what happened. (THAT reminds my...I still haven't given back Kendra's CD I borrow for the Valentathalon. Someone come do this for me or remind me to do so...) But just then Blake said something to the effect of, "That's a good song." So I turned it back on and listened to the Lifesong CD. But then I wanted more of Casting Crowns, so I got on my computer and began listening to their newest CD The Altar and the Door. I really like this CD!

So it came to the song "Slow Fade". For some reason, I stopped and began to think about this song. And at that moment, I thought, I need to write a blog about it! So I will pause for a little while and figure out what I need to write...
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(Me pausing...possibly for several hours/days...I have to go play Volleyball at 10...:-) )

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As Casting Crowns wrote about this song, "This was inspired by the spreading cancer of moral failure in the fathers of this generation. As believers, we must guard our hearts and understand that no one crashes and burns. They just slowly fade away one little compromise at a time."

I do not take quite as specific of a message from this song, most likely because I'm not a father. But what they say in this song really makes sense, "People never crumble in a day." It is a pattern of evil thoughts and a pattern of unwise choices and actions that leads to a destructive lifestyle and essentially to destruction. Not just one.

This pattern of slow decay can be very deceiving. As we live out our daily lives, those small "insignificant" thoughts and choices do not appear to be making changes within us. However, they all add up to build and shape who we are. Have you ever just been going about life and looked up and noticed something (or someone), and thought...Woahh...this is (you are) different, when did this (you) change? We tend to not notice the small things and even begin to accept them as normal. It's like if you were concentrating on something and someone next to you were to take one small step away from you every few minutes. For quite a while, you'd probably not realize that they have even moved away at all. But when you take a break and look up, you realize they are across the room.
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This clip from The Office does not completely apply, but I was wanting to find a way show it in a post. In this scene Jim simply asked Dwight if he wants an altoid after his computer beeps...something very insignificant. Over time, Dwight becomes accustomed to this and at one point has no clue why he is craving an altoid and reaching his hand out to grab one from Jim.

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The same thing happens in our spiritual life. We make one small choice not to spend time with God today. It's only one day...out of a possible 31,025 days in our life. That's NOTHING, just 0.003% of our life. (And when we compare that to eternity, it doesn't matter!) However, it is SOOO easy for that one day to turn into another day, another week, another month: and the slow fade has begun. This happens with so many things, spiritual and otherwise. I sleep through or skip class this one day. I don't need to meet with this person this week. I'm busy tonight...I'll just not go to Core this one week. I really want to tell this joke, but it's not appropriate...just this one time. I know I've procrastinated now, but I'll do better. I'll spend just a little more money this month on eating out or on myself. It's just one night of looking at pornography on the Internet, I'm not going to make a habit out of it. I'm just tired tonight...I'll make sure I pray twice tomorrow. I'll make sure to tell Jonathan about Jesus next time I see him. I don't need to call and talk to my family today...I'll do it later. I can get serious about God in the summer when I don't have to worry about exams.

All of those things start out small, but it is incredibly easy for them to snowball out of control. We will not realize it at first. Once something has already been done, most times it is increasingly easier to do it again. Once you've done something twice, more times than not, it's easier to do it a third time. However, one day, weeks/months done the line, we'll look up and think, "Why am I here?!!!??!?!" This is why in Proverbs it mentions how important it is to keep your foot from evil, to not even take one step that is not on God’s path. It is important that we fix our gaze on Christ.

Proverbs 4:23-27 -- Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

In the same vein, the "slow fade" can occur in another way as well. It can be good. I wish that once a person starts believing in Jesus or "becomes a Christian" that they could just be perfect. I wish that for myself. I wish that I could just get things done right the first time without any practice or grief or making mistakes. However, this is NOT the case, we cannot just go from living for ourselves to living for Christ overnight. It takes time. That’s why Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross DAILY and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it (Luke 9:23-24)."

This is frustrating as well as a great encouragement. It’s frustrating because I look at my life and the only things I do daily are breathing and eating and sometimes many times sleeping… But it’s encouraging because if you’re not where you want to be, just like I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago, it simply requires you taking small steps toward your goal or taking small steps toward becoming who you want to be. As I mentioned above, once something has already been done, most times it is increasingly easier to do again it again. Once you've done something twice, more times than not, it's easier to do it a third time.

Now, all that said, I think most of that is the result of what this song is talking about. The actions produced from it. The keys lines in the song are “Be careful little eyes what you see/Be carefully little ears what you hear.” (And the more action parts “Be careful little feet where you go/Be careful little lips what you say.”) But it is so important that we watch what we are taking into our body. Of course in the physical sense that’s important to stay healthy, making sure you’re eating the right things, not staring into the sun, etc… But even more so, it’s important for our spiritual lives as well. We have to make sure we’ve “eating” and “staring” at the right things to make sure that our spiritual body is healthy. We must be careful what we are watching on TV, in movies, on the computer, other people. Just watching something harmful does not typically produce an action right there. But through a continual pattern, our mind begins to become filled with these images, and they are all we can think about! All the violence and sex and dirty joking and lies about how life works and lies about what we should be doing DO begin to affect us whether we realize it or not. (And I know y’all’ve heard that many times.

We must be careful what we listen to. I think this most directly applies to who we choose to listen to, not necessarily what we choose to listen to, as far as music or what not, which is usually what I hear this applied to. Lies are so easy to believe. Lies that people spread about others whom they are angry at or envious of. Lies meant to bring division. Lies, claiming to be God’s truth and God’s Word. Satan is a master at spreading these lies through the world and through the body of Christ as well. “[Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).” However on the surface, these lies are not exposed. “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (II Corinthians 10:8).” It is much easier to believe them. And while one lie, about someone, what they did is not going to make that much difference. But that begins the slow fade. These things we take in can and will eventually come out of us and will turn into actions. “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean (Mark 7:20-23).’ “ These simple things we see and hear, turn into thoughts, affect our hearts, and come out in our actions.

(I might write more or edit this a bit later, but I wanted to get it posted...)
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(And just for y'all, I've pulled some strings and hopefully done something not too illegal. Since I can't upload songs, I made a "blank" video with the song....I can upload those!)

"Slow Fade"

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see