I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought hey
You know, this could be something
'Cause everything you do and words you say
You know that it all takes my breath away
And now I'm left with nothing
So maybe it's true that I can't live without you
And maybe two is better than one
But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one
I remember every look upon your face
The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste
You make it hard for breathing
'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away
I think of you and everything's okay
I'm finally now believing
Then maybe it's true that I can't live without you
And maybe two is better than one
But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one
I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought, hey (hey, hey)
Maybe it's true that I can't live without you
Maybe two is better than one
There's so much time to figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking, ooh, I can't live without you
'Cause, baby, two is better than one
There's so much time to figure out the rest of my life
But I'll figure out with all that's said and done
Two is better than one, two is better than one
Just keep the song in mind. It will come up later.
Considering what I am have been sorting through in my own heart and mind, it is no wonder that a certain question comes up. It is a question we all face, and we all must answer, for how we answer it will shape our entire lives and our entire understanding of Christianity and humanity. It is the question of what love is.
Well, back to the song, this is what people think of "love". "Love" is something felt about another person or another thing. And think about it. So many people, even I at times, use the word "love" in this way. Someone does something nice for you and how do we respond? "Aw, man! I love you!". Love becomes the happy warm feelings we have for another person. Love becomes an IT. Love now focuses on yourself since it is all about how you feel. So love becomes selfish. In addition to selfish, it becomes hebel since it is only feelings. Feelings fade, feelings die. Everything in that song is about "I". I felt this, I do that, I want this, I think that. My life. I can't this. I can't that.
We do this with God. We praise God when we're happy. We're faithful when we feel like it. We "love" God when it's easy, when we desire it for me. And then when we base our worship and entire faith off of this feeling for God, it is no wonder that we find it so easy to wander. It is no wonder we are caught so quickly by the adversary. I hate to say this, but this is what I think most Evangelical churches do - many Lutheran churches included in that. We focus and sing songs about "how happy we are for God", "how great we desire to praise God", how much we "love" God...but do we love Him? Or are we just saying "I have these good feelings for God right now so I can sing with my heart out"? And then when these feelings pass, how dead do we feel! We attend church and try to sing all these songs about feeling happy with God. But do they encourage us? Do they teach us anything? No, they only make us feel more and more dead because we do not feel like that. Ok, I'm getting into a completely different can of worms. One thing at a time. Get back to love.
But that's not what love is. Love is not feelings; it goes beyond all that. Love is death. It is dying to yourself. It is dying to that "I" who wants it all. It is living for and only for the YOU, or THOU. It is not something that can pass away. This is why we are capable of loving anyone because it is not about us. It is about dying for them. Love is pain; it isn't warm or fuzzy. It is blood. It is sweat. It is tears. It is emptying yourself. It is the cross. It is Christ. That is why no matter how dead you are, no matter how many times you don't feel like singing, no matter how sinful you are, no matter how stained you might be, you are loved by Christ.
Death. Death that gives life to another. That's love.
And that's my random thoughts for the day.
I don't know, Anna...
ReplyDeleteI can see where you're coming from, and I'd agree with you on many points...
But 1) I don't think that's a problem so much in our Lutheran churches, and 2), I still like that song*; I don't think "I can't live without you" is that off from what you described love as (dying for someone, hurting for someone, crying for someone... the "You."), except that the song's written in the first person. And it's the easiest, most normal thing to write songs in the first person.
As good as your advice may be, I don't think one blog post is going to magically make anyone stop being a sinner (especially if it's only read by people who already know and agree with you). If it were that easy, Jesus wouldn't have had to live here, or been hated, or betrayed, or scourged, or crucified, or...
And so no, we can't live without Him. And we do love Him. And even though those "church songs" are fluff- we may not always be able to say we're happy with ourselves, the people around us, or even Him- doesn't mean we stop loving God or those people, just because we aren't happy with them at the time. And I don't think this song contradicts that... I never met the person/people who wrote this song, so I can't tell you what their intentions are, but I doubt they meant to convey a message of conditional love.
:)
*Sorry; I don't mean to say you have to like the song, too. I just think that, as Christians living under the Gospel, we're free to have our own musical tasted. ANNnnnnd I'm fully ready to have my head chewed off, since I did the same thing to J.C. when he got after you for your Buzz post about "Tangled." Perhaps this would be a good time (past time) to beg "Pax"...
X(
Of course one blog post isn't going to stop someone from sinning, but you have to start somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that songs sometimes SHOULD be written in the first person--and the song is cute enough, and probably accurately conveys a lot of people's feelings. But feelings aren't everything that love is about, and that song was only talking about feelings, really. Loving someone isn't just about "having your breath taken away" or remembering what he wore the first day you saw him. Loving someone is about dying for him, hurting for him, and crying for him, and even if the song mentions that, it doesn't focus on that. Feelings are part of love (especially a romantic way) but there is way too much emphasis on how one "feels" in this day and age. I do it too.
Musical taste is different from dissecting words to see what they mean.