Sad But True

I went for a long walk Saturday morning. Man, the weather was just perfect. About 65 degrees with a slight breeze. Birds chirping, lawnmower engines revving up, sprinklers showering newly seeded soil. Welcome autumn.

So, anyway, when I go walking, I always take my iPod. I mean, I love the sounds of nature and landscaping, but I gotta have a little sumthin'-sumthin' to keep my legs moving and keep the adrenaline pumping.

On this occasion, I sauntered to the soothing tunes of Metallica (the Black Album from 1992). This is arguably their best album of all-time. Lots of great hard rock tunes filled with cynicism and angst. But not only that, there is actually truth in many of the lyrics that accompany these heavy riffs.

Perhaps the most gripping lyrics are those to a little ditty called Sad But True. The song is written from Satan's perspective. Read these words, and you'll see exactly how "on the money" these sentiments are when viewed through the enemy's eyes:

You, You're my mask
Youre my cover, my shelter
You, You're my mask
Youre the one whos blamed
Do, Do my work
Do my dirty work, scapegoat
Do, Do my deeds
For youre the one whos shamed
(view all the lyrics here)

Is this the kind of tune I want my 8 and 4 year old boys listening to? Well, no - not exactly. But, the underlying truth - a hard truth - is this is exactly who Satan is. He's behind the scenes, yet we are the ones who wear the mask, we're the ones who are made to suffer needlessly when we make poor choices.

The fact is that we are all mirrors. We can either reflect the glory of our Creator, or we can wear the mask of the enemy and get caught up in the current of what the world values as important.

Let those lyrics sink in. Stew on them. Ponder those deep truths.

Then fight tooth and nail to avoid falling into the enemy's traps. Refuse to believe his lies. Because Satan's fate has already been determined. His reputation and future are not on the line. It's yours. And often times it's those who mean the most to you who suffer.

Sad but true.