A sharp contrast exists between lyrics in two country music songs currently getting radio airplay, “I Am Not Okay” by Jelly Roll and “Follow Your Arrow” by Kacey Musgraves. In the former, the artist sings “I know one day we’ll see the other side, the pain’ll wash away in a holy water tide, but God knows, I know, when it’s all said and done, I’m not okay but we’re all gonna be alright”. This message is Christ-centered. In this world, we grapple with our own sin, death, and the power of the devil, yet one day God’s saving grace will remove all pain and grant us eternal life with Him. In the latter, the artist sings “So you might as well just do whatever you want, when the straight and narrow gets a little too straight follow your arrow wherever it points, say what you think, love who you love, ‘cause you just get so many trips ‘round the sun, you only live once”. This message is self-centered and resonant of the slang phrase “you do you”, meaning do whatever feels right to you, trust your instincts, and follow your own path regardless of others’ expectations. God gives each of us vocations, or roles, in our families, work places, and communities to “ . . . go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The first artist uses his vocation as a singer- songwriter to confess that Jesus is Lord. As Christians, are we using our vocations to confess that Jesus is Lord?
