The Only Hope For Me Is You

A couple of years ago the band My Chemical Romance released their album entitled Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.  This was big news at the Jones' house, as my then 15 year old son Will had been awaiting this project for about 2 years.  He awaited it with the same kind of passion that I once had for a new Eagles album or the latest John Denver 8-track (I am sooo old...).  While the themes and lyrics are not really my style, I do love the music and the energy.  This may seem random, but stick with me.  The joy is in the journey...

Have you ever been driving a road you know well, headed towards a destination you have been to many times before, when suddenly you realize you have missed a turn or an exit?  I know I have. We lose focus.  Our minds wander.  We take our eyes off of the prize. It's an odd feeling because you know where you are, and you know where you are going.  You just didn't get there.  It is different from being lost, but it is still very frustrating.

Matthew 7:13-14 tells us to  “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."   The path to life in Christ is filled with passed exits and missed turns.  We know the path, yet we still find ways to wander off course.  My life has been filled with these missed turns.  I never quit seeking Jesus, but I sure take a lot of wrong turns.  There have been times when I doubted I could find my way back, even though I knew exactly where I wanted to go.  And on my own, I could not have returned to the road that leads to the abundant life.

That's where My Chemical Romance comes in.  One of the songs on their album is called The Only Hope For Me Is You.  The lyrics have nothing to do with the spiritual journey.  But God has been using the chorus to speak to me this week.  You see, too many times I have lost focus, taken wrong turns and missed exits and then tried to find my own way back to the righteous path.  I know now that I cannot do it alone.  I need a GPS.  I need Jesus.  Nothing else and no one else will do.  And the My Chem chorus just keeps ringing in my ears- "The only hope for me is you...alone."   

God knows that.  That is why over 2000 years ago He sent us Jesus.  Humans had already proven we were no good on our own.  The birth of the Christ-child was the re-birth of hope for us all.  As we begin the season of Advent- of preparation for the coming of Jesus- it is time to focus on just how badly we need a Savior.  Just as that unexpected event changed the world all of those years ago, I believe this unexpected message from My Chemical Romance can change us today.  Make it your prayer this Christmas season.  Don't let the "things of man" lead you to wrong turns and missed exits.  Focus on the one who is "The Way, the Truth and the Life."   It's all about surrender, and realizing that God has already taken the first step towards our redemption. We call it Christmas.  The time is now to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Savior...

Jesus- the only hope for me is YOU...and you alone.  Amen