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Secular Songs with Secret Spiritual Significance: Part Two
Unrequited love and hidden secrets…sound intriguing? Whether it’s a ten-year old with a secret valentine or a full-grown woman seeking love in the workplace, we have experienced or know someone who has experienced the sting of romance.
This week, two songs struck my fancy.
As I listened to these songs (consequently played back-to-back by my favorite radio station), a story of Greater Love inspired me.
To give me all your love
Is all I ever asked
Cause what you don’t understand is
(Chorus)
I’d catch a grenade for ya
Throw my hand on a blade for ya
Jump in front of a train for ya
You know I’d do anything for ya
I would go through all this pain
Take a bullet straight through my brain
Yes, I would die for ya, baby
But you won’t do the same
While “Broken” from last week’s article represents the broken cry of the follower, I reinterpret “Grenade” to come from the perspective of my deity. Obviously the song originally is a one of unrequited love. On a spiritual level, we often get into the groove of everyday life. Faith becomes routine, and we often forget how much love God has for us. Since I come from the Christian tradition, the messianic figure works well here: His love was so great that He caught a figurative grenade on my behalf. But the song is applicable to members of any faith. We often miss out on Greater Love when we let life get in the way. We forget to love back.
The interfaith question then becomes, how far would you go for your faith? I’m not asking for martyrdom, although that’s still a real question for individuals in certain parts of the world. In my daily prayers, am I cognizant of the love He has for me or am I leaving His love unrequited? Am I willing to return and show that love? If I’m willing, am I showing it in my lifestyle, my prayers? Am I showing Greater Love to others today?
(Chorus)
Tell me what you want to hear
Something that were like those years
I’m sick of the insincere
So I’m gonna give all my secrets away
This time
Don’t need another perfect line
Don’t care if critics ever jump in line
I’m gonna give all my secrets away
Confession time: I don’t like praying aloud at family dinners. Why? My secret is I’m quite self critical. I start thinking of how my wording is terrible, formulaic, etc. But when I “sound” good, it’s normally not from my heart. I feel like I need to strike a balance between sounding good and being sincere. Other times, I just don’t know what to pray. My alternative? Pray on my own, by myself, in my head.
Where does OneRepublic come in? My prayer journey has been one of releasing myself from perfection. I don’t need perfect lines to pray. The only perfect prayer is one that comes from the heart and holds meaning for the prayer. Each member at the dinner table or prayer circle is a critic. I know they shouldn’t judge my words and they probably don’t want to judge. But hey, we can’t keep ourselves from quietly passing judgement. “Secrets” reminds me to focus on what He wants to hear, not what I want.
I have myself in a conundrum. I realize I am not always reflecting Greater Love to the people around me, and I have a hard time vocalizing that love through shared prayers. Solution? Stop worrying about the details and just reflect and do. Give time to be thankful for the Greater Love I have been shown, then share that with others. While these songs didn’t exactly have a spiritual message in mind, I am reminded to stop, pray, and reflect the Greater Love I have been shown every time I hear the speakers pound.
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