I first posted this about a year and a half ago, but my daughter got me thinking about it again. She’s decided she loves Elvis and wants to go to Graceland for vacation. Oh, and she’s only seven. Hm. Wonder if we should buy her some blue suede shoes?
When I was a little girl, my mother liked to listen to Elvis. She had an 8-track (yes, I’m that old) of his gospel music. To this day, my favorite Elvis song is his version of “Peace in the Valley.”
That song was on my mind this morning. I have no idea why. But it got me thinking about Elvis. Now, I don’t know a whole lot about him, but by all appearances, he started out as a good ol’ Southern boy who loved his mama and Jesus. Somewhere along the way, people started calling him “The King.” I think–just maybe–he bought that press. He ceased being Elvis Presley, became Elvis, and then became The King. He stopped being who he really was and became almost a caricature of himself. People idolized him, even worshiped him, but his life was off-center and he seemed to lose who he was.
I wonder if there’s not a lesson there? God made me. He made you. He gave us a calling (or multiple callings) and set us on this earth to do something for him. But what happens when we take the reins? When we try to become The Kings of our lives? We become shells of who we were meant to be. We cease to be who we really are. We turn into that caricature. Oh sure, on the outside, things might look phenomenal, but on the inside we’re a wreck. Whether we know it or not.
Now, I’m not trying to talk bad about Elvis or judge his spiritual state. I happen to like his music, but I have no idea who he really was or how he really felt. I’m merely looking at the outside of things. What I do know is this: I need to take a hard look at who is reigning in my life. Is it God? Or is it me?
And how about you? Who’s The King in your life?
–JB
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