And what about this feeling that I'm never good enough?
Will it wash out in the water, or is it always in the blood? ….
Could I change it if I wanted, can I rise above the flood?
Will it wash out in the water, or is it always in the blood?
In the Blood, John Mayer
This song is a more personal reflection on the human condition (see yesterday’s post for a more abstract reflection from Regina Spektor). It's a surprisingly upbeat tune for a song about the emotional baggage that we inherit from our families - perhaps not the cheeriest subject for this merry time of year...
And yet for some, it may be more relevant than ever during this busy season of Christmas parties and family visits when relational tensions and insecurities may rise to the surface. If you’re feeling the burden of messy relationships this Christmas, the words of O Holy Night may be of some comfort to you:
His law is love and His gospel is peace Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
Here we are reminded that the law that rules the universe is Love. Love has won. And that means that in all of our relationships with our ‘brothers’ and sisters, whether that means our actual blood relations or in the broader sense of our fellow human-beings, we can find freedom. It may not be an easy freedom, but when we are living under the law of love (however paradoxical that phrase may be) we are finally able to overcome past and present hurts. We can answer John Mayer’s question with a hearty ‘yes’. We really can ‘change’ and ‘rise above the flood’.
Because His gospel is peace.
This is part of my LittlePonderings series: "Unseasonal Songs: An Alternative Advent in Song Lyrics". You can find out more here.
Comments