St. Paul on the Radio

Sometimes a secular pop song leads me deeper into prayer than anything else.

Weird? Nah. Tacos do the same thing. The glory of God is often revealed to me in the perfect taco.

So recently I was driving and heard a new song by Nate Ruess (singer from the band Fun). I almost went into a semi-heavenly-mystical-ecstasy right then and there on the highway in rush hour traffic.

Thankfully I pulled my heart together and kept driving because adulthood.

Here’s the song, with a pretty rad video too:

I know exactly where Nate got his inspiration! (Even if he doesn’t know where he got his inspiration!) I read minds like that.

His song is just like the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3,

“If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

I Need You

Maybe on the surface the song is about his need for a relationship… But deep in our hearts that’s exactly the need that we all have — a need for relationship, a need for love.

How often do I find myself feeling down and full of self-pity because life isn’t going according to my narrow plan. I can get so lost in a cloud of doubt and self-criticism, telling myself that things will never work out, that I’m doomed to a life of disappointment and failure… that I am nothing.

Until I reconnect with the love of my life — my King and Savior who knows about every tear I shed and every petty, little worry on my mind. He is only love and speaks only love into my life. It’s what keeps me grounded — that constant, quiet, whisper of love from Him.

Any good in me is God working through me. Any kind word or deed I am able to accomplish is His love and grace.

I draw from His love when I am depleted, when I can’t find the words to say, and when I know that without His inspiration I would be useless noise.

It’s like the lyrics of Matt Maher’s song, Because of You:

“If I shine it’s because of you
If I love it’s because of you
If I’m strong it’s because of you”

Where do we find that love of God? Directly from Him in prayer and the sacraments! But also, we can encounter Him in our neighbor, in the world around us, and from our family and friends.

Love is Everything

The danger is that it’s easy to misdirect our need for love and expect other people and things to fill our empty hearts. I think that comes through a little bit in Nate Ruess’ song.

A lot of people idolize their romantic relationships and expect to find happiness and fulfillment in them alone. The lyrics say, “I don’t want to lose this one, she makes me feel whole.”

Other people find their joy and worth in God alone, and then as whole people go and have amazing, holy relationships because they view each other as a gift from God. They each become a channel of God’s love to each other!

Our lives must be all about love or else we are nothing. Without love we are empty shells, a noisy, useless cymbal clashing in the dark. Every day we are seeing what happens when we cease to live in God’s love and stop letting that love dictate our actions. War, violence, racism, riots, bullying… what are they but a lack of love?

Please don’t ever forget, God created you because He loves you. He sustains you daily because He loves you. And He wants you to be with Him forever in heaven because He… loves… you…

Love, love, love it’s all about love. I am nothing without love.

I want to rest in the light of God’s love, in the comfort of His embrace. He makes me feel whole, and alive, and free. I’m no longer stuck in the sand of my own self-centeredness but I’m a ship with eternity as my ocean and the living breath of God’s love as the wind in my sails. I see no death, only life. With love, even suffering is a gift I can offer to my Beloved. The pain of our daily crosses become bearable because of love.

Love — The name of my God. I am nothing without Him. Together we are everything.

How will you allow yourself to encounter God today and let Him love you?

I’m praying for you.

Photo by Mirandaheneghan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Logo Added

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