LEGEND OF ATLAS

I don't know if I understood that or not

But bearing the weight of those tensions within

Was like bearing the weight of the cosmos themselves

But I wouldn't admit it, I wouldn't succumb

To the spiraling circle my mind had become

I had to be braver and stronger and bolder

I had to carry the stars on my shoulders

I'm fine with the burden of polarized planets

Of sobering questions and baffling answers

Of grief unresolved, of futures unknown

Of following my self-imposed ethical code

Of "stewarding my talents for others to see"

Of learning what on earth that remark even means

Of controlling my destiny just long enough

To make life feel purposeful under the sun

Because I was Atlas, so I was convinced

A power-drunk Titan endowed with the strength

To seal the divine into Pandora's box

Assuming God's thoughts were the same as my own

Because now I was braver and stronger and bolder

Resting providence's work on my shoulders

But I wasn't suited for that kind of burden

My heart and mind knew that; my hands had to learn it

My joints began to buckle and crack

From the weight of the cosmos I'd placed on my back

I shifted my balance in an attempt to suppress

The sensation that I was in over my head

To my horror, I found myself losing my grasp

On the galaxy I thought was mine to command

But no, I thought, I'd be fine on my own

I could carry the stars, and I'd do it alone

But my thoughts were derailed by the deafening crash

Of Orion descending and crumbling to ash

And the seismic collision of Venus and Mars

Fractured my confidence that I was in charge

And as Neptune careened out of orbit above

I knew I was losing the world that I loved

But gravity wins, and it comes for us all

And the sky that I shouldered was destined to fall

If all of the planets would just stay in place

If all of the cosmos would simply behave

If all of my questions and tensions within

Would align themselves so I could make them make sense

If I could convince you my heart was unfazed

By grieving or longing or suffering or change

If I could be braver and stronger and bolder

If I could carry the world on my—

I can't

I just can't

I thought I could. I tried. But I can't. I'm so sorry

I thought carrying this weight was the right thing to do

But I sinned against God, and I sinned against you

I'm free from the ghosts, right? I live in the truth

But in my pride, I thought holding the stars was the proof

And it was all smoke

But someone has to hold it together

Who could carry in one hand the burden of fate

And hold in the other my sanctification?

Who could stand in the tension between heaven and earth?

"Take heart," says a voice that's quiet but sure

"I have overcome the world"

Jesus of Nazareth, the God-Man Himself

Descended to Undersun and took on our flesh

He alone perfectly loved and obeyed

While perfectly holding the cosmos in place

And ascending a cross, hung between earth and sky

He'd pay the full price for your sin and mine

With galaxy-shouldering arms stretched wide

He raised His head, said, "It's finished!" and died

But that's not the end, 'cause that Sunday, He'd rise

Defeating our sin and bringing us life

And that's good news, sure; but what about now?

There's practical stuff that I've gotta nail down

And that was the part that I misunderstood

When I grappled the cosmos, I thought strength was found

In having this Undersun stuff figured out

But friend, true strength is found in the height and the length

And the width and the depth of His love

Love defies all of Undersun's maxims and laws

Go figure—'cause Jesus' thoughts aren't like ours

Love fills us with all of the fullness of God

And gives us the courage to bear our own cross

Listen, don't miss this—God doesn't need help

He invented the fabric of spacetime itself

But obedience in the mundane, or simple, or boring

Is bearing our cross as God makes us holy

It's more than a spiritual band-aid to hide

My questions and cares and afflictions behind

This is faith, it's orbit, it's tension in motion

Entrusting my purpose to Someone who loves me

And knowing that even as victims of physics

Jesus is powerfully working within us

And now that you're grounded in infinite love

Lay down the planets, and pick up your cross

Pick it up when the questions of life are too great

For our finite and limited minds to explain

Pick it up when wandering the circles of grief

Strikes at the heart of your deepest beliefs

Pick it up when the slanderer spits in your face

Because you aren't the Hero, and they need His grace

Pick it up when you're hopeless and chained to your bed

Trusting that God isn't done with you yet

Pick it up when the strangers Christ settles nearby

Strengthen your courage and shatter your pride

Pick it up when in love, they take hold of your hand

And widen your circle to let others in

Pick it up when the treacherous tempests of time

Mean leaving a season you treasure behind

Pick it up when your circumstance captures your thoughts

Because duties are ours, and events are the Lord's

Pick it up when the vanity under the sun

Tempts you to question omnipotent love

Pick it up when you realize you're not in control

And it feels like you're falling, or flying, or both

Pick it up when the phantoms haunting your mind

Threaten to smother the fire inside

Pick it up in Christ's strength, child of the King

Leave all resulting; do the next thing

Lay down the cosmos, they're out of your hands

Just follow Him closely, believing you can

And I know that you can, 'cause of what Christ has done

As you're rooted and grounded in love

Now, to the young, I'm talking specifically to you

Will you remember that love in the days of your youth?

When life is confusing, and choices are hard

And you're tempted to carry the weight of the world

Please consider the One who already does

And to all of us, the end of the matter is plain

Love Jesus most and do what He says

Your purpose is found in no more and no less

And that's the legend of Atlas, of strength not my own

That carries the stars and comforts my soul

It's a paradox, friend, that I hope you can see

Alone, we can't be strong; but in Christ, we can't be weak

And one day, He'll free us from Undersun's plight

He'll dry every tear and make everything right

And He'll come to claim His bride

She'll have a flame inside

She'll be unstained by lies

She'll rest in ancient might

And she will be clothed in white