Discovering Life: Adages of a College Freshman
Unplug That Blender!
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"Unspoken": New Album by Tonex
I almost didn’t make it to History class today.
On my way to the class, I turned on my iPod and randomly picked a song to listen to. It was only about a 4-minute walk, so I just wanted something quick to wet the melody-crave inside of me. That random song just happened to be a tune I’d never heard before (Probably because I’d just downloaded it last night).
“Bl3nd” by Tonex.
(Attention elderly readers: that’s simply a slang spelling of the word ‘Blend’)
I was blown away! We all know that God favored Tonex with a vocal gift straight from the heavens, but the message behind this song is what gripped my attention. It deals with a syndrome I’ve had the displeasure of watching many, including myself, fall victim to.
I wanted to spend a few minutes and elaborate on some key points of this potent song. But before I do so, I’ve included the song as well as the lyrics for those who’ve never heard it.
Verse:
Do you really want to be like them?
Do you really want to act like them?
Do you really want to sound like them?
Why do you try so hard to blend?
Do you really want to look like them?
Do you really want to talk like them?
Do you really want to sing like them?
Why do you try so hard to blend?
So hard to blend.
Chorus:
You wonder why they hate you, yeah yeah.
You wonder why they tolerate you, yeah yeah.
You wonder why you have to be you, yeah yeah.
Because you’re trying too hard to blend.
You’re trying too hard to blend.
You wonder why they spite you, yeah,
No matter how hard you try.
Because you never blended with them, yeah yeah.
You are unique in God’s eyes.
Verse:
Blending makes for too much time.
Blending isn’t good for one’s…health.
Cause by the time you blend into one thing,
It’s time to blend into something else.
(Ain’t it the truth?)
Blending takes too much of your energy.
Be you for who you are.
Because someone wants to be like you,
And they just might lose their star…
Lose their star.
(Repeat Chorus)
So now do you want to look like them?
So now do you want to act like them?
So now do you want to be like them?
Since you’ve discovered that you don’t blend…
You don’t blend.
So now do you see how special you are?
And how it’s best to just be you for you?
You can put away that blender now,
And live your life in truth…
Your life in truth.
(Repeat Chorus)
So many people are trying so hard…TOO hard…to blend. To be like that one person whom they admire so dearly (or dare I say idolize). To be like one of the ‘Cool guys’ who gets all of the girls (and all of the diseases), or one of the ‘Popular girls’ who all of the boys flock to (until her water breaks). To talk with a silver tongue like the smooth guy on campus (Wasn’t it Solomon that called this type a ‘fool’) or walk like the girl adorned in riches and wealth (I believe ‘meaningless’ was the term Solomon used here).
But why?
Why do we as a society strive so hard to be like others? Why do we have such difficulty accepting who we are? Why do we find complexity in God’s declaration that we are ‘Fearfully and Wonderfully made’?
I know why; People.
We don’t necessarily crave Mr. Silver Tongue, just the attention and reputation that his swift tongue brings him. We don’t necessarily care to be as beautiful as Mrs. Cinderella back there, we just want to attract the guys she does and have our own ‘pick of the litter’. Because, let’s face it…if Silver Tongue only drew slaps and knee’s in the groin, we wouldn’t want to be like him. If Cinderella only attracted the Squidward look-a-likes (Only spongebob fans will get that), we wouldn’t desire her looks.
We desire the attention of other people (who, by the way, are going to think WHATEVER they want about you no matter what you do) so much to the point where we’re willing to put on a mask. We’ll spend all of our time and energy trying to decorate ourselves so that we can sound like him, and look like her…and what do we receive in return? Hatred and spite from those same people. Why?
Because you tried too hard to Bl3nd.
(Elderly readers, remember; that’s “blend”).
Because, whether or not you want to believe it, people see through fake, phony fronts every time. It’s like looking through a glass window for them; and if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that society HATES fake people.
Imagine if Jesus tried to blend. Imagine if He’d tried to blend with the scribes and Pharisees (Who were religious people, by the way…uh oh) that wanted to condemn the adulterous woman (John 8:1-11). Imagine if He’d tried to blend with the Disciples who rebuked him for touching the little children (Luke 18:15-17). What if He’d tried to blend with the weak-willed around him, thus disabling him to submit to the God’s will that he die for our sins (Matthew 26:39-40)?
God has placed something special inside of each and every one of us, but we never realize the full potential of that gift because we’re too busy trying to mimic rather than develop what we have into something worth mimicking. Isn’t it about time you stopped being the Admirer and instead become the Admired? The greatest musicians in the world are those who mastered improvisation, not sight-reading. Why? Because with Sight-Reading, all you’re doing is mimicking what another person composed. You’re coloring inside someone else’s lines. With Improvisation, you’re developing your own masterpiece. You’re drawing your OWN picture to color in.
Don’t live life behind a mask. Live a life of truth. The truth is found in the way YOU look, the way YOU talk, the way YOU act, and the way YOU think…why? Because it’s your own, and not a plagiarized copy of someone else’s. Once you learn to master YOU, then you’ll receive the one trait that TRULY attracts people; confidence.
Most importantly, you’ll find that there’s only one worth admiring…
Jesus Christ.
Oh, how I long to be like HIM!
“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:6)
Conformed people are boring and unfit for Kingdom work. Don’t be one of them. Be ye transformed. Unplug that blender!
(And since I used Tonex’s song, it’d probably be nice to plug his album. It’s called “Unspoken” and you can find it in stores and on iTunes! Check it out!)
Tags: Tonex, Blend, Bl3nd, Unique, Confidence, Admire, Transformed, Confomed, Unspoken
It’s Not Your Birthday, But Here’s a Present.
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I’ve been reading a book called “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. It’s a spectacular read for anyone seeking to establish a true and intimate relationship with Christ. While reading, I came upon this quote by Frederick Buechner:
“Intellectually we all know that we will die, but we do not really know it in the sense that the knowledge becomes a part of us. We do not really know it in the sense of living as though it were true. On the contrary, we tend to live as though our lives go on forever.”
Last semester, I stared astonishment directly in the face. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting on my bed, typing on my computer when my neighboring suitemate walked in and asked me if I had heard about my roommate. I was like ‘No, what’s up’?
‘He was killed in a car crash last night’.
My body went into a cold chill. I had just spoken to him! And now he’s…dead? It was an eerie feeling and remained so for several subsequent nights. Every time I would hear the door open, my heart would jump, expecting him to walk in. I found it hard to sleep. It happened so quickly…
So unexpectedly.
We, in all of our carnality, have become quite arrogant in regards to this life thing. We’re not ignorant to death…we just feel we’re invincible. We know death will come eventually, we just don’t think it’ll come tomorrow…or the next day…or even the next week.
But what great knowledge we’ll obtain once we realize that our supposed invincibility cowers in the face of death.
God has given you a present…literally. It’s called the ‘Present’. It means ‘the period of time that is happening now’. How much longer will you continue to disregard such a gift?
How much longer will you continue to devote your ‘present’ to the worries and cares of this life, rather than the glorification of your savior who has commanded you to rejoice in him always (he even said it twice!)? How much longer will you continue to devote your ‘present’ to satisfying your own fleshly desires and worshipping at the altar of ‘Me’ rather than hearkening unto the Lord and his commandments?
How much longer will you continue to push God out of your ‘present’ and figure that he won’t mind? How much longer will you continue to devote your ‘present’ to seeking fame, riches, and the feeble approval of others, rather than seeking first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness?
How much longer will you continue to devote your ‘present’ to dwelling in the past and what “Should’ve Been” rather than embracing the future and what “Can Be”? How much longer will you continue to devote your ‘present’ to playing the role of the ungrateful brat who’s found constantly complaining about the things they don’t have rather than thanking God for the things they do have (yet don’t deserve).
How much longer will you continue to devote your ‘present’ to religious bickering and bantering rather than Godly love? How much longer will you continue to devote your ‘present’ to fooling yourself into believing that this Life is about you, when it’s been about God and God alone from the very beginning?
“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:13-14)
What is your life? Does God take priority over all, or does he just ‘Fit in’ where he can ‘Get in’? I’m no betting man, but I’m willing to put all of my chips on our Jealous God NOT accepting second-place.
“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16)
I pray we all take heed.
Tags: Francis Chan, Frederick Buechner, Holiness, Life, Present, Reality, Time
2nd Place…1st Loser.
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Last semester, I established an incredible companionship with a fellow on campus who turned out to be one of the best friends I could have ever come across. For the sake of this entry, we’ll call him “Joe”. Dude was a blessing sent from on high. There was something about him that drew my attention the very day I met him, however.
His swagger.
Joe could walk into a room and take complete command of things. He could ‘woo’ the ladies with his conversational skills and set an atmosphere of laughter and enjoyment with the homeboys. He was never at a lost for words and was seemingly known by every soul on campus. People were drawn like magnets to his personality. This brother was the definition of cool.
…and the COMPLETE opposite of yours truly.
While he could take charge of a room, I often kept to myself. While he could hold intriguing conversation for hours on end, my exchanges usually froze after ‘How’s Your Day Been’. While he could establish a connection with anyone he laid his eyes upon, I withdrew from others and stuck to the people I knew well enough to feel comfortable around. Together, we were as incongruent as Black and White (quite literally, actually, seeing as he was ‘white’ and I’m ‘black’).
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I was extremely envious.
I wanted those skills! I wanted that command! Dangit, I wanted that attention! I was akin to the Sluggard described in Proverb 13:4 who desired but could not obtain. I wasn’t quite convinced that I couldn’t obtain, however. In fact, on the contrary, I knew good and well that I could obtain all of those traits, which I admired. I just needed a plan; the right plan. One that would guarantee success. See if you can guess which of these that plan entailed:
- Take lessons on drawing the attention of others.
- Couple of Self-Help Books
- Simply imitate Joe
If you chose option 3, come on down and get your prize! I mean really, it only seemed logical, right? If I wanted what he had, I had to do what he did. Good God from Zion, I’d struck gold! I would be ‘Wooing’ the ladies in no time!
Or so I thought.
On paper it seemed like the perfect plan, but in application it was far from it. I was basically trying to shove my foot into a shoe that didn’t fit, and the awkwardness caused me to stumble every time. Upset, I gave up. I was furious. Why could he do it so flawlessly, yet I sucked at it?
Then one night, it hit me.
Now first understand this: I don’t claim to be super-spiritual. Unlike some of the more seasoned ‘Christians’, I can’t honestly say that God descends from the heavenly throne and sits on my bed with me each night as we hold full-scale conversations about the day and discuss his weather plans for the week. But some things you just KNOW are inspired by the Holy Spirit. This was one of them.
Let’s think about this for a moment; Our God created the galaxies. The same God placed approximately 250 billion stars in our Galaxy alone. The same God created a single cell comprised of millions of protein molecules.
Having done all of this, and MUCH more…don’t you think that if He wanted to create two Joe’s, he could’ve done so?
But he didn’t. He created one Joe because he wanted one Joe and one TJ because he wanted one TJ. So, in retrospect, TJ’s goal never should’ve been to become the best Joe he could be, but instead the best TJ he could be. He should’ve stuck his foot in his own shoes.
That’s a pit fall I watch many fall into; the desire to be like someone else or have what someone else has. Trust me, even if you somehow manage to become a perfect carbon copy of them, you’ll still only be second rate. People remember Michael Jordan, not the guy that sort of played like Mike. Use what’s in YOUR hand. They may seem admirable, but your aim should never revolve around trying to be like them. That’s a slap in the creator’s face. You’re basically telling Him that you, in all your prideful glory, have taken on the task of correcting His mistake. Instead your aim should revolve around being the best YOU that God ordained, pleasing Him in all of your ways. After all, compared to God, all the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing, right? That’s Daniel 4:35.
“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation” – Herman Melville
Discovering The Freshman.
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Some time ago, I was told that if I kept all of my thoughts and emotions bottled up inside of me, I would eventually explode. Like most of the unsubstantiated advice we encounter in life, however, I provided it little attention, brushed it off, and went on about my way, bottling in whatever I so pleased. I’d become a pro at it, too. I could see someone wrestling with a question and continue on my merry way, knowing all along that I had the answer. I could watch people fall and rest at night, quite content in the fact that I declined to catch them, although my arms were more than long enough. It wasn’t so much the fact that I didn’t care, but moreso the fact that I never figured my voice would be heard. I could contain the solution to cancer, but who would take the time to listen? Fully convinced of the answer, I continued to hide my thoughts and emotions in their safest haven: bottled up inside of myself. I called them adages.
But eventually, that warning took form. As life intensified, so did the adages. I felt the explosion coming. I needed a release…
…And thus came this blog.
Welcome. My name is Markevius Tywon Jackson, more known by many simply as TJ. I am a freshman at Auburn University, majoring in Political Science. I am a devout follower of Jesus Christ and him alone. I also happen to be a keyboardist going on my 4th year (or something like that). I would go through a list of all of my interests, but that could very well take up all of the time that I’m supposed to be using to discover life. In person, I’m quite reserved, so these writings may unveil an unfamiliar side of myself and my thought process that many around me have desired to know, but could never quite figure out.
My purpose for this blog is, mainly, to document some of the lessons I learn as I continually ‘discover’ the aspects of this journey we call life. After all, you don’t REALLY start living until you’re 18, right? Sure, that statement’s debatable, but for the sake of this blog, we’re going to assume it’s a scientifically proven fact. My goal is to present these lessons in a manner which is beneficial to all of those who read it. I’m not really aiming for a ‘Self-Help’ type of project, but instead, something more authentic. Real experiences with real consequences and real lessons that can be applied to real life. I don’t promise I’ll get it right everytime; can’t even promise that these ‘adages’ will be anything ground-breaking…but I’ll give it a shot – and if it doesn’t work…at least I got my release. It’ll kind of suck that you couldn’t get anything out of it, though.
In other words, let’s pray it works. :p
