Pop Songs about Jesus

I was listening to "She is Love" by Parachute (listen to the song by clicking on the title) the other day and I realized something big! If the lyrics were changed from "she" to "He" or "her" to "Him" it could be about Jesus's love, in fact the words would be more appropriate if it were about Jesus instead of a girl. Here are the lyrics, transformed slightly:

I've been beaten down, I've been kicked around,
But sHe takes it all for me.
And I lost my faith, in my darkest days,
But sHe makes me want to believe.

They call her Him love, love, love, love, love.
They call her Him love, love, love, love, love.
SHe is love, and sHe is all I need.

Well I had my ways, they were all in vain,
But sHe waited patiently.
It was all the same, all my pride and shame,
And sHe put me on my feet.

They call her Him love, love, love, love, love.
They call her Him love, love, love, love, love.
They call her Him love, love, love, love, love.
SHe is love, and sHe is all I need.

And when that world slows down, dear.
And when those stars burn out, here.
Oh sHe'll be there, yes sHe'll be there,
They call her Him love, love, love, love, love.
They call her Him love, love, love, love, love.
They call her Him love, love, love, love. love.

SHe is love, and sHe is all I need,
SHe is love, and sHe is all I need, 
SHe is love, and sHe is all I need.

This is pretty much a perfect song about what Jesus embodies for us. Literally, every single line in this song is a perfect representation of Jesus and what he does for us with his love. As you read the verses, I think it becomes blatantly obvious how Jesus totally did those things for us, and that a person could never replicate that to an extent even close. Let's take a look specifically at the first verse, the bridge, and the repeating chorus:

I've been beaten down, I've been kicked around,

But sHe takes it all for me. (Jesus did that on the cross. He took all our sin and all our pain by pouring all His love on me - as in, you - by dying for us. To be honest, I don't even really get this line. Another human could never take all of your pain. I guess they could help alleviate it with encouragement and love, but no one can just take it all for you. And it's okay, because Jesus already did.)

And I lost my faith, in my darkest days,

But sHe makes me want to believe. (We do lose a grip on our faith sometimes, and we do hit rough patches in life where it seems like there is not light or good in the world, but truly and honestly, Jesus is an inspiration, He is hope, He is what we believe in and why we believe in goodness. Jesus constantly makes me want to believe in life being better.)

And when that world slows down, dear.

And when those stars burn out, here.

Oh sHe'll be there, yes sHe'll be there. (When the stars literally burn out, when the world comes to an end, Jesus is all that remains. Yes, He will be there.)

They call her Him love, love, love, love, love. (x3)

SHe is love, and sHe is all I need. (You've probably noticed by now that Parachute repeats "love" over and over and OVER; they almost seem like they're overusing it. In fact, they use it 40 times - I counted. :) This is clearly some crazy amazing love they're talking about. But really look at this recurring chorus phrase. They call Him love. He is love. He is all I  need. It's so true. We do call Jesus love, because he IS love, he embodies it, it's what he lived for, it's what he does, and His love makes us beloved. And yup, He IS all we need and will ever need. His love overpowers anything that another human could pour on us, His love overpowers Satan's hatred and lies. He is love and He is all we need.)
 
Although I understand a lot of these phrases in the song are metaphors for how great the songwriter views the love of a girl, the metaphors are just too exaggerated. This could never be a song about a girl, because no girl, no human could ever be this perfect for us, it just isn't possible. But as a man, and also as God, Jesus was this for us. If we take the metaphors literally, it's Jesus' love exactly. Can you think of any other pop songs out there that talk about a perfect love that no person could ever give, except Jesus? People want that perfect love, they envision it all the time - they sing about it! - but you can't get it from another human being. We are simply too flawed! And the amazing thing is Jesus already showed it to us, we just need to truly understand how perfect his love is.

Center

These past few days have been a stark reminder to me of how important it is to let distractions get in the way of God. It's come for me in the form of my expectations and ambitions disappointing me. This whole past year, ever since the end of January, God has undoubtedly and unceasingly been growing me. But it's because I've finally turned to him for everything - guidance, encouragement, peace, and the greatest love. And it's such a beautiful great thing that when we are faithful to God, we notice that He is faithful to us, forever faithful. But something so amazing can be easily taken for granted. Even though as God grows me and continually reveals new things to my life, it can easily become old. And when that happens, I find that I start trying to rely on myself and my own desires instead of God. I become ambitious, which is by no means a bad thing - you need goals to grow - but what happens is something this quote explains:   

"Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have."

And it finally hit me today that maybe the reason why I'm not as happy as I'm used to being lately is because I'm not trusting that God will give me the things I need, even though He has been doing just that for over half a year. Also, I am a strong believer that selfishness is pretty much the root of all evil and unhappiness. We don't deserve anything good - because we have not been good to the One who created good - and yet He provides it to us in abundant amounts. But as I turn my sights back on Jesus, the One who rescued me, and all of His glory, I'm already feeling so much more at peace with myself and confident about what's to come.

People Around Me

Hey this is a poem I wrote last year for my English class. We were told to go home and write a page about whatever was on our hearts. I have been wanting to post it for a while and now I just figured out how. I hope that God uses it to inspire you to reach out to your classmates in this upcoming year. Its titled "People Around Me"

I look around and see people all around me.

What goes on in their hearts I do not know,

Do they let their true selves show?

Every night do tears drench their faces,

Like a heavy rain leaving no dry places?

Do they find themselves always wanting more,

Never satisfied with what this world has to offer?

Have their lives been torn apart by divorce?

Are they running a never-ending racecourse?

Trying to compete with all those around,

Afraid if they fall they may not be able to rebound?

Are they never satisfied with themselves,

Storing all their sins away on ceaseless bookshelves?

Do they carry their sins around on their shoulders,

Weighing them down like big heavy boulders?

Are they about to give in to the weight that they carry,

Thinking they will forever be wary?

Listening to all those around who say they are fools,

Lord help me to show them that what you see is a Jewel,

Sure they may still be in the rough,

But for you God, no heart is too tough.

No sin can take way his love,

Leaving high heaven above,

He came down to save us because of his great love.

He lived a life with no sin and no shame,

And died on the cross taking on all our blame.

He rose again three days later,

He beat the clenches of death for he is much greater.

He died once and for all,

His death saved us from the fall,

Lord help me to project this to all that I meet,

Use me as your hands and feet.

To help them to see,

All that separates them from you is acceptance of your gift, so free.

No we did not earn it, its true,

But Jesus died for all including me and you.

A Truer You

So this past weekend and 3 days, I got the honor to be a leader at Wenatchee, the junior high summer camp at Overlake. Looking back on it all, I definitely learned how extremely life-changing it is to just let go & let god. (Clicking the title leads you to a song that I think fits my big lesson from camp.) I came into camp consumed with worry, not knowing what to expect, and doubting that I'd be able to reach out and connect with these students with the personality I have. I tried preparing my heart for camp, but instead I just found doubt from the lies Satan tried to feed me. In fact, I think doubt is the hugest weapon Satan has against us. He tries to find places where he can take away our confidence due to our inexperience.

I guess you could say that after that, I - in a sense - gave up trying. I didn't analyze in my head what I thought someone would say if I said a certain thing, I didn't decide to not talk to a student because I didn't think they'd accept me, I didn't not sit down at lunch with unfamiliar students to avoid an awkward situation, I didn't hold back in fear that I'd get the wrong reaction. That's exactly it: I didn't hold back, I let God do what he wanted with me. I feel like during this whole camp I wasn't even really in my own mind, I just took every opportunity I had to connect with students and other leaders, and let God do the rest. I let God lead me as a leader.

And God did provide. He gave me peace and he let me be who I am meant to be. He allowed me to connect deeply with the girls in my group and students outside of my group. I've been reading a book; it's called Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. And there was this one line that has meant so much to me:

God, in his faithfulness, is changing me...  In fact, instead of making me someone else, he is making me more me. And that is one of the beautiful things about him. The more his we become, the more ourselves we become; more our true selves. (Pg. 134)

I think my experience at camp is an example of me being more me in my life. When we let God lead us, he puts us in a place where we are most useful, where we are needed to spread his glory. He reveals the purpose of who we truly are in Him. And I can look back on how God has worked in me to know in the future that it's the truth. God's plan is good.