The Song Stuck in Our Heads

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14 NIV)

Have you ever noticed how the past keeps showing up, demanding attention, like a song that gets stuck in our heads?  “Hey, remember what the kids in school used to say about you—‘Loser!’?”  “Remember how often your mom told you that you looked fat?” “Remember those girls you hooked up with at parties?”  

“Remember!  Remember! Remember!”

That is the refrain of the past and the lyrics it sings are of all the times we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It is at the top of the Enemy’s playlist and he wants to play it for us as often as we will listen.  And, boy, do we listen!

Time and time again we listen to the song of our woeful pasts.  The lyrics fill us with shame and regret over what we’ve done.  And if we listen to it often enough, it gets stuck in our heads.  Even if on the outside we appear to be free from our pasts, on the inside we are reminded continually of our shortcomings and unworthiness.  The effect is to drown out the reality of God’s grace and to suck out the life of freedom it carries with it.  Grace becomes a virtual platitude in our lives.  We speak the word, but it has been emptied of its power.

So in the Church there are many forgiven people living their lives chained to the sins of their pasts.  The song is in their heads playing on a continuous loop.  There may be times where it can be ignored, but in the quiet moments of their lives, it can be heard loud and clear.  The lyrics seared into their minds and hearts.  Weighed down by guilt and shame, they are spiritually ineffective and weak.  They cannot grow and they cannot be changed.  They are stuck in what amounts to a ritualistic existence, going through the motions of faith with none of the power.

Sitting in a Roman prison, Paul recounted his life to his Philippian brothers and sisters.  He recounts a life of pride in his religious achievements, only to acknowledge them as worthless in light of knowing of Jesus.  And he acknowledges elsewhere to Timothy that he views himself as the “worst of sinners.” (I Timothy 1:15).  Combined, we can assume the devil came calling to Paul with the same old song.  But Paul had a strategy to keep that song out of his head, and it is one that we would be wise to employ as well—resist the pull of the past and strain toward the promise of a guilt-free future through Jesus.  

The key word here is “strain.”   It is intentional and difficult.  The tune and lyrics are pulling at us.  We have to resist and intentionally focus on the grace of God and the promise it has for us, which Paul sums up in Romans 8:1-2—“ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

Today, if you are hearing the song in your head, focus not on the lyrics, but on the grace of God, which has set you free from whatever you’ve done in the past.  But know this won’t be easy.  You are going to have to be intentional and try hard to set your sights on what the Lord wants to do now and in your future.  But you are not alone.  The Lord and your brothers and sisters are there alongside you to help change the song from one of condemnation to one of grace and freedom.

© Jim Musser 2015