So by mid August about two months after I had turned 18 my idea of joining my friends in this tattoo getting time was shattered. Until a day took me where I woke up and realized Jesus was missing from my life. Now the tattoo and Jesus are not connected immediately. It was not like when an apple fell on Newton and he thought "mmhmm a delicious apple, oh and this force made it fall lets analyze this." No it was far from this. My finding Jesus did lead me back into listening to a lot of christian music again though. Mainly my all time favorite band who I had cast off in lights of new pop and rap music. All of which seems to fall on deaf ears in my playlist now. For I find a witty rhyme about that girls butt and marijuana are petty and boring compared to meaningful and thought provoking language and rhetoric praising Jesus.
Now where am I going with all of this nonsense? That is a good question if I did not write as I thought it would be easier for me to get there but this feels like the right direction. Well back to the original story/plot/idea I guess. A few months ago, alright A lot of months ago, back in november-ish time I was walking to class with my Ipod on and a line stuck with me, "The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair." I remember walking in the rain with my umbrella and a car hit a puddle near where I was walking and the splash got my pants from the knees down wet and I repeated the line, "the Beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair."
Now this was a start of a trend for me. If I am in Randell "doing work" (as dylan would say) aka. studying, and the kid next to me starts talking on the phone I don't get mad and yell "FML" as loud as I can as I have heard other people do. I simply remind my self "The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair." Now if you have never heard Relient K before you should definitly take a look at the full qoute.
I’m giving up on doing this alone now
Cause I’ve failed and I’m ready to be shown how
He’s told me the way and I’m trying to get there
And this life sentence that I’m serving
I admit that I’m every bit deserving
But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair
Cause I’ve failed and I’m ready to be shown how
He’s told me the way and I’m trying to get there
And this life sentence that I’m serving
I admit that I’m every bit deserving
But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair
Now I have heard this seen as many different ways. Some say they (Relient k or the singer Matt) are complaining that grace is not fair but I don't see it this way at all. To me the singer (Matt T) is confessing to doing something bad and admitting he is ready for god to show him the way. To serve god for the wrongs he has committed and that he is deserving of this but it is this that makes life beautiful. The simple fact that life is not fair is what makes it beautiful.
This line has become something that I say when ever something goes wrong. When I am getting a little mad about something in life it is a good way to calm down. It is like when your a kid and you say "ITS NOT FAIR!" and your parents say "well life is not fair" and every kid yells "well it should be" or something of the sort. Well it took me 18 years to learn that it is really not fair but it is this that makes it amazing. If life was fair to everyone all the time than no one would ever have anything bad happen, no learning experiences, life would be empty and dry.
In the end of the day I have decided IF I get a tattoo next fall, yes I want to wait at least till fall because if I still think I can live with that line on me for ever a year later It will most likely never change, this will be the one I will get. "The beauty of grace is that is makes life not fair." A line to live my life by, straight out of the religious song to god, Be my escape, By Relient K.
So if you see me sometime after next fall check our my chest just under my left peck, for the line that I have fallen in love with may reside there.
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this is really insightful.
ReplyDeletekeep up the good work.
finally someone else who thinks the same way about that lyric. almost as if we have an unfair advantage. we have Christ, and Gods grace. I have also thought about getting a tattoo with RK lyrics, from the new album forget and not slow down. "I'd rather forget and not slow down
ReplyDeleteThan gather regret for the things I can't change now
If I become what I can't accept
Resurrect the saint from within the wretch"
Thank you so much for posting this. I have the same exact line right smack dab on my bicep. I wanted to legitimately show off that these lyrics mean strength to me. I have a lot of Christians read it and go "hmm.." in a disapproving kind of way. It hurt, it sucked to see their reactions, and even more so I even started to regret it. But then I realized something, these are words that I stand by. I lost my mom, my fiancé, my car, and my grandfather all within one month. I turned away from God in anger and resentment, but one day I ran back to Him because I realized I couldn't make it though life any other way. With this new found love and hope came the tattoo idea from the band that helped get me through the misery. Grace is given to us, and it is unfair (but in our favor) because we don't deserve it...but the beauty of it all is despite what we've done (in my case running from God and all of the sinful acts that came with it) He still died on the cross for us and gives us this amazing grace! I refuse to be ashamed of it anymore, once again thank you for posting this..beautiful story :)
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