Diamonds In The Rough (2008) "Tension"

[reprinted as written by Avenged Sevenfold]
As performed by A7X

I wake up every morning bright and early;
roll out of bed but I'm never quite alone.
Tension is pulling me in all directions,
and I'll be gone once you use me as a rope.
Sometimes the pressure will just drive you crazy,
at any time I could explode.
I need some peace of mind, it's got me tired.
Don't wanna lose it, but I'm turning down that road.

I need a moment 'cause I've spread myself too thin.
We all need a moment in our lives.
Work's hard, the day's too long,
and that's just where it begins.
Tension has had us all this time.

I sit in traffic every single morning,
just as I arrive, I'm slaving to the grind.
Making the money so I feed my family,
but I can't raise them, 'cause I ain't got the time.
I got no free days on my busy schedule,
I turn the page and it's the same.
Don't like my situation, you don't either.
Don't wanna look back scared, I will get away.

I need a moment 'cause I've spread
myself too thin.
We all need a moment in our lives.
Work's hard, the day's too long,
and that's just where it begins.
Tension has had us all this time.

But every now and then,
I drive alone, an open road.
Hot summer day,
a gentle breeze that feels alright.
All alone,
and I can't feel no pain,
only strain.
Enjoy the sights,
I feel alive.
Relaxing here just feels alright,
far from home.

I need a moment 'cause I've spread
myself too thin.
We all need a moment in our lives.
Work's hard, the day's too long,
and that's just where it begins.
Tension has had us all this time.

A lot of us feel this way in the fast-paced lives typical of a western, technologically advanced society. In fact, literally, it's killing us with stress-induced illnesses, across the board. The one place that should bring comfort and joy, home, becomes the place we want to run away from because it represents the reasons for why we're killing ourselves -- work, feeding the family, keeping up the house, doing for people...doing for everyone.

Who takes care of me, becomes the question.

So the poet takes to the road as the music shifts. Imagine the cool breeze, the hot sun, the sense of anticipation that something wonderful is about to happen, it's just around the corner. A chance to relax, to think about nothing more important than enjoying the moment, without the heavy load of obligations, deadlines, responsibilities and all the rest that we daily labor under.

Wouldn't you love to carry that hot summer day with the scent of ocean breeze in your heart all the time?

In John's gospel, when Jesus promised to send His Spirit to live within every person who would receive His love and have faith in Him, He promised four things:

1) The Holy Spirit comes by Jesus’ invitation and represents Jesus to you and me

2) The Spirit teaches and reminds you and me of Jesus’ words.
This promise was first for the disciples as they were going to not only spread the gospel but write it down. But this is also for every person who has the Spirit – He will recall to your mind what you need when you need it.

The way for Him to do that is for you to put God’s words in your mind in the first place. You and I are pretty fortunate to have Bibles everywhere and the freedom to read them Sometimes when something is plentiful like this, we don’t really value it. But this promise from Jesus is contingent on you and I having God’s words in the first place.

3) The Spirit teaches the meaning of God’s words.
He’s the one who gave the writers of the New Testament the understanding they needed to explain all of Jesus’ teaching – think of the apostle Paul and all the letters he wrote, but also Peter, John and James and the other writers. You and I have this same access, all we need to do is ask. And the Spirit will help you to understand and apply God’s truth to your every day life.

4) The Spirit would impart Jesus’ peace
This doesn’t mean that you and I never experience stress. Several times you and I have read in this gospel that Jesus was troubled in His spirit. Stress and trouble are all part of living on earth.

What Jesus gives is Shalom, a Hebrew word that means much more than absence of distress. It means wholeness, completeness, health, security, even prosperity in the best sense of that word. In spite of your circumstances, you are able to experience joy and a certain contentment.

This is a quiet, steady confidence in God, trusting Him that He is going to work everything for good, somehow, some way. This is not giving up because you know that even though it feels like you’re at the end of your rope, God has a little bit more rope for you to hang onto. This is believing that if you can’t find what you need within yourself, God has it and He will give you what you need from within Himself – Who lives in you.

It's true that you and I need a break sometimes. It's simple biology, we have to renew the resources we need by eating, drinking and resting. But a lot of stress is self-induced because we internalize the busyness, the burdens, the pressures. Instead, internalize Jesus' shalom through new birth.

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