Twisted Sister

I don’t know if it’s just a “Bible Belt” thing, but as a follower of Jesus I’ve become accustomed to some common Christian-ese language.

“Let me connect you with so-and-so…she’s a sister in Christ.” It’s another way of saying she is a fellow Believer in Jesus.  I use the same language myself sometimes. It has seeped into my dialect like the subtle southern accent I don’t even realize I’ve taken on these past 20+ years since moving from St. Louis to Nashville.  

The older I get, the more I make an effort to be more careful and prayerful with word-wielding. Not only does the Bible say that death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), but even when we think we’re speaking life, the words we are saying can be heard by someone’s ears with a completely different meaning than what we were actually intending.   

Can I get a witness from any moms of teenagers out there?

We all have filters that we process information  through, and what we may intend to be encouragement or assurance can get turned upside down through the ears of a listener.  

My own filter sifted  the words “I see you as a dreamer” - spoken by one of my teachers back in high school - into a seed planted in my heart that became in my head: “I have lots of creative ideas that will never be more than dreams never realized.”  

All these years later, if I were to tell anyone I’ve believed that interpretation of the words my teacher spoke, they’d probably tell me I’m crazy for believing such a thing. They would argue that I’ve followed my dreams to Nashville. They’d remind me that they’ve seen me sing at the legendary Bluebird Café, or that they have Lisa Hentrich music albums in their CD collection. They might say something like, “You have a song recorded by Reba McEntire!  You have ARRIVED!”. 

But, ah, the caveat.   

According to music industry standards, I’m unsuccessful at music industry success.  I have songs on major label artist records, BUT… no “official” singles on the radio.   I have songs that have charted, BUT… no #1 charted song.   

Even now, with that Reba-recorded song (“God and My Girlfriends”) on a Dove- and Grammy-winning album, my experience in the music industry trenches reminds me there’s always a “BUT":  “The album won those awards, BUT what about the song on the album ?…”   

When I walked away from my music after losing my singing voice seven years ago, I unconsciously carried with me that “unsuccessful at music industry success” label which, I now realize, became a loser trophy on the inside of my heart’s dream shelf.   

Sometimes, the labels we're "stuck with" are real. Someone else put them there, and we’ve carried them ever since.  Other times, we put them there ourselves, through a faulty filter.

BUT here’s the good news — and it’s a good BUT!.   It’s the God-news...the God BUT.  He resurrects. He redeems. He renews. When we lay down that which has consumed, disappointed, shamed, embarrassed, rejected or condemned us and put God first in our lives, He uncovers and unsticks the labels… and the real label makers.

Whether the label maker is our own tongue-twisted truths (both spoken, or thoughts we tell ourselves), or whether it’s the not-enough assessments of others that have taken root inside of us, God exposes them for what they are: lies we’ve believed as truth. He also exposes the hidden label-maker of lies: satan.

I recently heard Gary Keesee (Faith Life Church) say this in one of his podcasts: “What you believe about yourself is what you duplicate.”  

I’ve been a bit of a “Twisted Sister” in Christ, but because I serve a God Whose light exposes lies twisted as truths, I'm undergoing a mind-makeover. He is making my twisted paths, and my twisted mindsets straight. I am making a conscious effort to believe the great I Am - who says I am "fearfully and wonderfully made" for a special Kingdom purpose.  

My mission in life – in this season of my life - is to duplicate that.   

“In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3:6.