I only partly agree with this song...

In case you don't know, this is Hannah Montana (otherwise known as Miley Cyrus). [The photo is from this Flickr link.] My kids love her music and tv show and they enjoy dancing and singing to Wii game they have of her concert tour, as well as her cd's.
I have to admit, I think she's cute and her show is funny and entertaining. I don't mean to tear her down or judge her in any way...but I have been thinking about the truth to some of her songs and wondering what other people think about the words- if you really stop to dissect them a little bit.
One of the songs my kids listen to quite a bit is "Life's what you make it" {follow this link to read all the lyrics}. It's a fun, upbeat song that basically says, "Life's what you make it, so let's make it rock...". Most of what it says seems believeable and true and good- life's a choice and attitude is what makes the difference in how things are in your world.
I have to agree that attitude DOES make a big difference in how life can seem on any given day, and it DOES play a big role in many instances. I've been a big believer and even sort of adopted a similar life motto which is sort of 2-parts:
one being that "you can't always control your circumstances, but you CAN always choose how to respond to them" and the other is "sometimes you have to create your own joy". I'm not trying to get all nit-picky here, but I just especially wonder about this section of the song which says:
"Things are looking up anytime you want,
All you gotta do is realize that it's under your control,
so let the good times rock and roll...".
Like I said...maybe I am just opening a big can of worms here and who knows what sort of comments some of you may feel compelled to leave in response, but those words just don't sit well with me. I have lived through enough situations that 'aren't under my control' and I've sat in pits of darkness where I've wondered if 'good times' even existed anymore.
Maybe some of you are in them right now.
I think of people who are told, "You have cancer and there's nothing more we can do for you" or others who have spouses come home one day and say, "I don't want to be married to you anymore...I've found someone else"; some people struggle with weight or depression or infertility or addictions that consume them for years. Still others live through years of physical/emotional and mental abuse, or rape by family members of friends. What about those life situations? Or how about the Smith family who recently, for no seemingly obvious reason, had a beautiful baby girl be born and die on the same day- it was "out of their control".

I realize that Hannah Montana is just singing and having fun, but I also know that words can really speak to our hearts and souls and especially through repetition, they can shape our beliefs- even at an early age. I find that I don't want my kids to have to 'struggle' in life with major issues, simply because they have come to believe something is 'true' when in fact, it's that they have misinterpreted things or been mislead.
Truth is sometimes hard to find in this world in which we live. And I certainly am not claiming to know it all or even have all the right answers. That is why more and more in my own life I feel I have to really look and listen intently to messages that come at me- even if it's something as small as a song on a Hannah Montana cd.
I have no doubt that some things in life really can be controlled by a change in attitude or by taking a step back and looking at a situation as it is and thus making the most of that. But in other circumstances- those that are big and deeply affect people, often through things beyond their control {as in the things I previously mentioned, or even natural disasters...}- and for me, the only way to get beyond the hurt and devastation is NOT through myself, but by something bigger than me. Which as many of you know by now, is my faith and belief in God and His authority over everything- seen and unseen.
Maybe this is a bit deep and complex, but it's been on my heart and I just want to make certain that if someone is going through a life trial, that they know it's not necessarily about them. But more importantly that there is a God who cares so much and has infinite power and strength and love and healing to make this situation 'right' again. Maybe it will take time- years even- and maybe it won't even happen this side of eternity. I just know that God can be trusted to make things new and to bring about change in lives and hearts- even when it seems impossible to us. I truly believe that it's in surrendering to our circumstances and in admitting that a situation is too overwhelming for us on our own, that we ultimately find the Strength to face it in our lives.
And that is my sermon and breakdown of the theology of a Hannah Montana song today. I know. A little bit crazy...but that's the way I roll sometimes.