"Live It Well"

    One of the things I like to do every year (from the first day of school till the last), is think of a theme song for myself. I usually try to pick something that really goes along with whatever God's working with me on that year, one that really stands out. The kind of song that when you hear it you just go "Oh my gosh, God! That is so me!" or "That's just what I needed to hear". In the past, finding my theme song for the year hasn't been too much of a challenge. God will often give them too me pretty early on in the year. For example...

     In 8th grade, my song was "Oceans" by Hillsong United. 8th grade was a very challenging year for me, when God gave me PLENTY of opportunities to grow, calling me to step out in faith even when I didn't know what the end result might be or where He might take me! But I trusted Him, and I got to really taste and experience God's goodness for myself. So even though 8th grade was one of my toughest years (academically, spiritually, emotionally), it also ended up being one of my BEST years, too!
     
     In 9th grade, my theme song was "My Lighthouse" by Rend Collective. 9th grade is usually a HUGE transition year for most people, as it was for me, going into high school and everything. I was already kind of on the edge about it, and then I ended up spending my entire first semester in this gross, depressed, unhappy kind of mood. I was living as what I like to call, a "zombie teen", which so many high schoolers are caught up in nowadays. And though it took that whole first semester of my high school years to break out of the funk I was in, God finally "woke me up from my slumber" and called me back into being His lighthouse for all the other kids around me. 

     In 10th grade, God actually gave me my theme song before school even started! It was "Sinking Deep" by Hillsong Young & Free, and it's still one of my all time favorites! The message of that song really encouraged me to never forget how much God loves me and will take care of me no matter what kind of situations I'm facing. It helped me remember to stay focused on God and who He was calling me to be, despite who the people around me were choosing to be. It gave me a new confidence in Him that enabled me to stay strong and secure, living my life grounded in a firm foundation of His love.

     So... that's a brief history of "McKenna's theme songs"! But this year, it just seemed like it took forever for me to find that perfect song! Maybe it's because I haven't been through anything super "huge" in my life this year, or maybe it's just because I haven't really been putting much thought into what God's song for me was... But about a week ago, I finally found that perfect song! And I just thought I'd share a little bit about it and about the theme God's been working with me on for this year. 

"Live It Well"

Take the burden from my arms

Take the anchors off my lungs

Take me broken and make me one

Take the silence and make it a song

Life is short, I wanna live it well

One life, one story to tell

Life is short, I wanna life it well

And You're the One I'm livin for!

Awaken all my soul

Every breath that I take is a miracle

Life is short, I wanna live it well

I wanna sing with all my heart this lifelong song

Even if some notes come out right, and some come out wrong

Cause I can't take none of that through the door

Yeah, I'm livin for more than just a funeral

I wanna burn brighter than the sun

I got one life and one love

I got one voice, and maybe that's enough

Cause with one heartbeat and two hands

I got one shot

And one life to live

One life to live!

*Here's a link to the song if you wanna listen ;)

https://youtu.be/Ov_lnXy7tkQ

     So, as you can tell, the song God gave me for this year is "Live it Well" by Switchfoot. All this year, God has just really been working with me on living every day in an attitude of JOY! I want to enjoy every moment of my life, feeling so thankful and so blessed for all the things God's given me! Because living in an attitude of joy really does make life so much more special and fun and exciting and adventurous... It makes me love every single moment God's given me and experience the blessing in everything! Whether it's a super intense Pre-Calculus class, or a fun-filled hour of teaching little girls ballet, I've learned to be JOYFUL in all things, and seek out those new "God-Sightings" and special treasures that God's hides for me to find. :)

     I know this was a bit of a more casual post, but this is something I've definitely been wanting to share. I mean, even just listening to that song makes me feel happier! It makes me want to live BIG and BOLD and on fire for Christ! It makes me want to seek out the good in everything! It makes me want to laugh more, smile often, be my own wild self and love everyone... And I hope it does the same for you, too!

Nehemiah 8:10

"Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and 

sweet drinks, and share the gift of food with 

people who have nothing prepared. 

This is a sacred day before our Lord. 

Don't be dejected and sad,

for the joy of the LORD is your strength!"

P.S. I know I mention songs and song lyrics a lot in my posts... One of the things I love to do, is write down the lyrics in my journal of certain songs that really speak to me. We sing all these popular worship songs that we hear in church or on the radio all the time, but do we really know what we're singing about? I used to always just hear the lyrics and sing along, but I realized I wasn't really hearing the lyrics, if you know what I mean. I would just hear them and sing them from memory, without giving any thought to what those lyrics really meant. So now, I love to write the lyrics of my favorite songs out in my journal, then I can really think about them and understand what those words I sing all the time really mean. Not only does it give the song so much more significance and meaning to me, but it helps me know God and the character of God on a deeper lever as well. You should try it sometime :)