Tim McGraw song

The radio station in my car has three spots it rests on - NPR, the classic rock station and a country station. Since I no longer have the opportunity to dance (why doesn't Kansas have any good places to dance??) I usually listen to country in the car. Anyway - several months ago I heard a Tim McGraw song that I dismissed without really listening to it. I heard it again a few days ago and for some reason the lyrics struck me. Here they are:

Drugs or Jesus

In my home town
For anyone who sticks around
You're either lost or you're found
There's not much in between
In my home town
Everything's still black and white
It's a long, long way from wrong to right
From Sunday morning to Saturday night

Everybody just wants to get high
Sit and watch a perfect world go by
We're all looking for love and meaning in our lives
We follow the roads that lead us
To drugs or Jesus

My whole life I've tried to run,
I've tried to hide
From the stained glass windows in my mind
Refusing to let God's light shine
Down on me Down on me

Everybody just wants to get high
Sit and watch a perfect world go by
We're all looking for love and meaning in our lives
There's not much space between us
Drugs or Jesus

Everybody wants acceptance
We all just want some proof
Everyone's just looking for the truth

Everybody just wants to get high
Sit and watch a perfect world go by
We're all looking for love and meaning in our lives
We follow the roads that lead us
To drugs or Jesus
To drugs or Jesus
Oh I need you Jesus
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

It's the chorus that made me think. My first reaction was, "That doesn't make sense -- there are tons of people who fall somewhere between drugs and Jesus." And yet, what if drugs are a metaphor for anything that helps you make life work apart from God? What do I "get high" on? Affirmation from others? The TV show, book or movie that I use as an escape? Sleeping? Food? Anything that I am using to escape from my life or to try and make my life work apart from God is essentially a drug. How do I try to anesthetize my heart?

This song made me think about what I am giving myself to these days and is it worth it? Is there anything apart from Jesus that helps in the long run? No. Yet, I sure seem to keep trying. The past few months have been a long series of running to Jesus and then stepping back, only to run to Jesus again. Am so grateful that I can sit down every morning with my cup of coffee, my journal and the Bible. Jesus meets me there. What a miracle -- every day. Thank you, Lord.