Growing up I was the stereotypical church kid (on
the outside). The thing that most people outside of my family did not know is
that I was a thief. I started stealing around the age five and learned that it
was an easy way to get what I want. Since I became good at lying I wouldn't
get caught often. In middle school I transferred to a public school
and met kids like me, who did the things I did and were on the social outside.
Knowing that I was a thief made me feel as though I did not fit in at church.
The one time I stated stealing in church it was because
my Sunday school teacher asked what a "sin" was. After
stating my answer she said "I meant sins that you commit." She did
not believe that a second grader could be a thief. That was the moment I knew I
did not fit in at church. Not only did I feel like an outsider at church, but
also at home. My brothers were the smart star athletes, and my sister was the
fun good one. Then there was me, the one with anger problems, the one that
stole, the one that was a liar, oh and I was the one that cursed worse than a
sailor.
Sixth grade I had
finally met people like me. Those friends introduced me to the Punk life, and
bands like Good Charlotte quickly became my favorites. I never felt like I could
be me when I was at home or church, and this time became the moments when I
needed the church the most. My church "friends" stopped talking to
me, and wanting to hang out, because I was "weird." So many times I
felt like giving up on God, and the church because nobody understood. When I
was at my lowest points I would listen to Good Charlotte's "The Young and
the Hopeless" CD. Their song "Hold On" was a favorite of mine,
the chorus states “Hold on if you feel like letting go, hold on it gets better
than you know. Don't stop looking, you're one step closer. Don't stop
searching, it's not over. Hold on" The lyrics themselves are speaking
about holding onto life and not committing suicide, which is a message I needed
then. Now as I read them, and listen to the words of this song I can so easily
relate them to my relationship with God, to hold on and not give up on mankind,
and to not give up on learning more about God.
Their song "Young and Hopeless" was the story of my life during those years. The chorus is "i'm young and i'm hopeless, i'm lost and I know this. I'm going nowhere fast is what they say. I'm troublesome, I've fallen. I'm angry at my father. It's me against the world and I don't care." The sad thing is that nobody knew, or seemed to care. I was angry at the world and hurting, and the only one who seemed to notice was my youth pastor.
Their song "Young and Hopeless" was the story of my life during those years. The chorus is "i'm young and i'm hopeless, i'm lost and I know this. I'm going nowhere fast is what they say. I'm troublesome, I've fallen. I'm angry at my father. It's me against the world and I don't care." The sad thing is that nobody knew, or seemed to care. I was angry at the world and hurting, and the only one who seemed to notice was my youth pastor.
So many times as Christians we separate what is
"sacred" and what is "secular." Many would say that Good
Charlotte is secular and bad, but they saved my life. They sang how I felt,
what I felt, and gave me words to hang on to and sing when I felt all alone in
this world. I strongly believe that God worked through them, and Green Day,
Blink 182, Linkin Park, and Three Days Grace. I do not know where I would be
without God, my youth pastor, and the punk bands I listen to. So thank you to
those who were there for me in my darkness and to others while they were (and
are) in theirs.
Thank you, Becca, for being so real. It is really refreshing. Love, Aunt Von
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