They Don't Believe It Anymore

I've been writing about books a lot lately, so now I'm going to focus a little on music.  I've been noticing a trend in music lately.  Not in Christian music, but rather in "secular music", if you want to use that term.  I don't usually hear a lot, so maybe I'm not a proper judge in the matter, but it seems that there's a lot more songs out there these days about broken relationships than beautiful love songs.  Probably the closest thing to love songs I hear when I go to the mall are sexual. 

Basically, the world doesn't seem to believe anymore that love can last, that marriages can stay together, and it's largely reflected in the world's music.  Yes, I could easily mention a number of songs that do still believe in a sweet, lasting love, but I think heartache may be fast taking over.  Music seems to be stripping away the fairy tale dreams many girls have and forcing a reality check.  Prince Charming doesn't exist and neither does Cinderella.

Taylor Swift's song "Love Story" was followed up by songs like "White Horse" and "Mine".  In "White Horse" she sings:

"I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairytale
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet
Lead her up the stairwell
This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down
Now it's too late for you and your white horse to come around."

"Mine" ends much more positively, but near the beginning she says "I was a flight risk with a fear of falling, wondering why we ever bother with love if it never lasts."

Mat Kearney's song "Ships in the Night" echos a similar message:

"Like ships in the night
You keep passing me by
Just wasting time
Trying to prove who's right
And if it all goes crashing into the sea
If it's just you and me
Trying to find the light"

"How many of our parents seem to make it anyway?
We're just fumbling through the gray
Trying to find a heart that's not walking away."

Josh Groban sings a touching song called "War at Home" centred around families.  Yes, there's pain, but in the midst, there's still a willingness to fight.

Yes, these are only very few examples, and the lyrics I provided are only snippets, but a recurring idea in many songs is the fact that the artists haven't seen it work out.  Children grow up seeing their parents' marriages fall apart, their friends marry and the same thing happens.  Girls grow up to believe that guys are only after one thing.  Guys think they have to "conquer" the girls in order to be a man.  So they settle for casual dating or one night stands.  Society really hasn't offered us much hope.

What about the church?  Are Christians offering us hope?  Divorces among Christians are increasing all the time.  Do our young people have reason to believe that a lasting love is possible? 

I'm speaking from a single young woman's perspective.  I'm a dreamer, just like countless other girls who long for a happily ever after ending, but many have tried to crush that dream.  No, I'm not deserving of the man I hope to marry, but I want to be.  No, he won't be perfect, but I admit I do often have that idea.  Yes, I know it takes work and although sometimes I wonder how it's possible, I understand there will be rough spots in the road.  But I know it is possible.  I know we can prepare now for a beautiful future and God-honouring marriage.

No, the world may not believe it's possible anymore.  They may give up on love songs and happily ever after.  But I'm not giving up hope yet.

The Garden: A Place of Love

The other night, I was thinking of the hymn “In the Garden” and I realized what a beautiful love story it really is. But before I go further, shall we look at the hymn itself?

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear,
Falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.

Chorus:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet, the birds hush their singing;
And the melody
That He gave to me,
Within my heart is ringing.

I’d stay in the garden with Him,
Tho’ the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go:
Thro’ the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.
--Austin Miles

Yes, there’s a true romantic love story if you ask me. As I read the first few lines, I’m strangely reminded of those movies with teenage couples where the girl runs off late at night to be with her boyfriend. Yes, they always show the girl sneaking out of the house, the guy’s already waiting, and the run off together, dancing in the moonlight.

But now, let’s be serious. In that first verse, I see a girl go out early in the morning as the sun is rising, before anybody else is up to be with this man she loves. The chorus is one of real beauty. I see that young couple totally lost in their love, walking through that garden, arm in arm. They may stop to watch the sunrise together, and she lays her head against his chest as he holds her close. This is home. She knows his love is true, that she can trust him, that he will never leave her side, that he will always be there, always hold and protect her.

She loves the sound of his voice. When he speaks to her, the world around them becomes silent. She becomes completely unaware of what’s going on around her. She always remembers these precious words, words of love, promise and comfort. They would spend the whole day together and even at nightfall, she doesn’t want to leave.

Is it so with our relationship with Christ? We are His bride. Do we treat Him like our Lover? Do we treasure each moment, each word? Do we always run out to meet Him first thing in the morning? Do we spend our last waking moments with Him? I must admit that I don’t, but I know it would be pretty amazing if I did.

I’d like to think that God thinks gardens are romantic too. I mean, when He made Adam and Eve, He put them in a garden. It was in the garden that He came to spend time with them.

“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.”
--Genesis 3:8

This is how God initially designed it! He put the first lovers in a garden where He surrounded them with beauty. This is where He came to them. Isn’t that incredible?!! The Song of Solomon speaks frequently of gardens. They’re romantic! Where did Jesus spend His last night before He went to the cross? A garden. He spent His last night in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. He was even buried in a sepulchre in a garden. What a fitting place for the Son of God, the man who displayed the greatest love ever.

So take some time to meet with God in the garden. It’s a beautiful place of love.