Of course, BarlowGirl’s new album, ‘Love and War’ is coming out soon (by soon I mean in 50 days) and I’ve been listening to song clips and watching interviews a lot. BarlowGirl is really big on ‘getting out into the world and changing it.’ So just a little while ago, I was thinking about everything they say all the time. Things about this generation being the generation that everyone will remember and things about shaking up this world. A quote from their new album is “getting out of our comfortable walls and getting out into the world.” Most of their new songs center around this same idea.
Anyways, like I said, I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. This next generation really can change the world. The teenagers of 2009 are so incredibly capable of shaking up this world. 1 Peter 2:9 says, ‘For you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own special people, so that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.’ It’s so true!
So many people look down on us, especially teenagers, because today’s generation is so different, and of course, we’re too young, but when I look at myself and a lot of the people around me, I see something different. The teenagers of this generation are very opinionated and although not many people like to listen, we have so many great ideas and thoughts inside of us that sometimes we never let out.
Teenagers have thoughts, and even though we don’t recognize it, we also have a voice.
The song that I wanted to tie in with this is called ‘Million Voices’ and of course, it’s yet another song by BarlowGirl.
My favorite line in this song says:
‘You were made to start the riot,
Take on the impossible and
We will slay the giants.
We are done with fake religion,
Fighting now to find the movement
Won’t stop til we find it'
Ok, it’s a little more than a line, but these lyrics are powerful and amazing! We really are made to start the riot. God didn’t create us just to sit around while this world crashes around us. God gave us a voice, even us teenagers, even 8 year olds, even the youngest of children. God gave us a voice to speak out! WE can take on the impossible, WE can slay giants, and WE can find the movement!
We were created with a purpose, a purpose to serve God with all that we have. We can let our voice be heard with whatever we do! We can make a difference just by being different. Another line in this song says, ‘Tell me who’d have thought that we would be so controversial and stand against the normal. Are we too outspoken loud and messing with the comfortable…’
WE can stand against the normal. We’re not meant to sit in this comfortable little pew our whole lives. We’re meant to stand out from this world! ‘Fitting in’ is so overrated! Let’s just stand out! Let’s let Christ’s burning passion shine through us… in every single thing we do!
But how can we be silent
when a fire burns inside us
Cause we're a million strong
and getting stronger still
they’ll remember we were here
with a million voices
breaking silence till
they’ll remember we were here
Lauren Barlow (youngest of BarlowGirl) always speaks before this song, and she always says, “You were meant to be the next Joan of Arcs, the next Mother Teresa’s. Who cares what everyone else in this world thinks?” (Watch a video of her amazing speech *HERE*) (Please watch it, it is such an amazing speech and it will change your view.)
She couldn’t be any more right. Who cares what everyone else thinks? I’d rather have a burning passion for God than ‘fit in’ with anyone else in this world. WE can stand out, WE can set ourselves apart from this world, whether we do it through purity, whether we do it by 'not dating' (like BarlowGirl), whether we do it by quitting something that we love, whether we do it by loving all the people around us, whether we do it by leaving the institutional church. You know, it doesn't matter! We can set ourselves apart from this world and do what God is calling us to do. It might not be easy, it might not be fun, but because our God is worth so much more than any worldly thing, it doesn't matter!
WE really are a million voices, no matter what anyone says. It doesn’t matter if everyone tells you ‘you don’t have a voice’ or ‘you’re not good enough.’ You are good enough and you do have a voice! You don’t just have one voice, you have a million! This generation was made to break the silence. We were made to break the silence of all the comfortable Christians around us. Let’s change the world! Let’s get out of this organized, fake, ‘box’ religion. Let’s remove our covers. Let’s be a million voices, and let’s let God’s passion shine through us!
-Amy
(Once again, here is the link for Lauren Barlow's speech. I encourage you to watch it. It is so powerful! CLICK *HERE*)
