“One Awkward Moment”, when I first heard that title my first thought was, “That doesn’t sound like something I’d like.” It’s not really a title that arouses much curiosity, but little did I know that in a very short time, It would become one of my favorite songs. In fact, I’d grow to like it so much that I would write this article about it!
"One Awkward Moment” is a song written by Mark Hall, a youth minister of Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Georgia, and the lead singer of Casting Crowns. "One Awkward Moment" was published just over a week ago in Casting Crown’s newest album, called, “Only Jesus.” Mark Hall has a talent for writing songs that are actually messages in disguise and this song is no exception. When I first listened to “One Awkward Moment” I was surprised by how much it resonated with me. It turns out that it actually deals quite a lot with what’s been on my heart for the last few months. Some of the topics it discusses are topics that I already have written about in previous articles or plan to write about in ones to come. But before I get to writing my full articles, I thought it would be great to introduce more people to this beautiful piece and its wonderful message.
You can listen to "One Awkward Moment" on YouTube here:
As with many of Casting Crown’s songs, “One Awkward Moment” tells us a story, allowing us to peer but for a moment into the life of a young girl and her struggles. This unnamed girl is caught in a cycle of regret and loneliness as she struggles to cope with some of the choices she’s made in the past. It’s been a long-going issue that she’s been dealing with for a long time. She’s been looking for answers, she’s heard about the message of God, and is hungry to know more about Him, but she’s too afraid to get out of her comfort zone and ask. In her loneliness, she finds no one to help her.
She’s a castaway
Stranded on the island of her yesterdays
Freedom was her ocean, but she got swept away
Little princess dreaming got lost somewhere in the waves
Left behind
She’s been going at this all alone since she was nine
But God loves you, He’s got a plan for you, she’s heard all the lines
But when she opens up her heart nobody’s got the time
It is at this point that we are asked to stop listening mindlessly and instead stop to consider this situation by putting ourselves into its narrative.
Could this be the day that you come to the rescue?
She’s desperate for the light but she’s never gonna ask you
Do we respond? Do we seek her out? She is not going to open up to us unless we go to her. It’s up to us to make the first step.
One word, one hand
Tell me, is that too high a price?
One awkward moment
Could be the one that saves a life
Your hurt, your scars
God will use to open up her eyes
One awkward moment
You’ll see the gospel come alive
Come alive
This is a powerful message, who are we to know what God can do with just one word, or with us simply extending our hand to help? As the song says, is it too high a price? It doesn’t take much effort to reach out to people. The song then reminds us, as well, that our hurt and past mistakes shouldn’t hinder us from helping others, in fact, it can actually help us to reach them. Think about it, how many times have you been encouraged by the personal story of a broken man made whole in Christ? These stories of redemption that come from the lowest points of people’s lives help us to better understand God and recognize the depths of His salvation. Our own lives are no exception to this. It may be hard for us to extend that first hand and tear down the barriers at first. And yes, we may even risk having an awkward moment, but it is only when we do this that we will see God work in ways we could never imagine.
But what if we think we aren’t good enough? The song goes on to answer that question for us as well.
Who are you to say
You’ve got shipwrecks of your own
You’re too young in your faith
She’s a smart one, she will see right through your masquerade
You’re scared that what you don’t know might push her awayBut don’t cave to the weight of the fear that you’re feeling
‘Cause she’s standing right here and you’re here for a reason
Just as we talked about in the last Nerd in the Word article, God can use any of us, He wants to use us despite our shipwreck of a life or inexperience! What if we don’t have all the answers? That’s okay! People are looking for something and we can at least give them what we know. It may even be that God has placed us in that circumstance solely so that we could act. We shouldn’t be afraid to talk, because God is greater than our fear.
You’ve walked in her shoes
You’ve heard the lies, you know the pain
But He’s still the truth, He’s still the life, He’s still the way
We all can relate to each other, we all live in the same world and know the pain of mistakes and the burdens they carry. Although at first appearance, we may think that we are different from others since we grew in a different environment or situation than them. In reality, our stories aren’t all that different. We all share similar struggles regardless of our social or financial status. We can all relate to feelings of hurt and our search for hope in this life. And, when salvation has been received, we all can connect over the love that Christ gave us. We have everything we need to reach others, we have the way, the truth, and the life and the ability to share Him with others. His grace provides us with an opportunity to relate and find common ground with everyone.
One word, one hand
Tell me, is that too high a price?
One awkward moment
Could be the one that saves a life
Your hurt, your scars
God will use to open up her eyes
One awkward moment
You’ll see the gospel come alive
Come alive
You’ve walked in her shoes
You’ve heard the lies, you know the pain
Come alive
But He’s still the truth, He’s still the life, He’s still the way
Could this be the day that you come to the rescue?
The song ends with a question, will we respond to what has been present to us today? Will we stop making excuses and reach out to people? Will we show other’s the salvation and love of God? Will we "come alive" in our Christian lives? … Will you?
This song has a beautiful message, and I think it’s one that all of us, as Christians, need to hear. (myself included) Being a Christian isn’t about being comfortable, Christ called us out of the world to reach the world, and sometimes it’s going to take the risk of “one awkward moment” for us to have a chance to make a difference. Christian living isn’t about staying inside our comfort zone, if it was, then Christ wouldn’t have said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matt 16:24) If we all learn from this song’s message and let it affect our hearts I believe that we will find ourselves much more capable of reaching out to people and making a difference in their lives. Thanks, Casting Crowns, for this beautiful reminder.
