Woke Up Singing a Silly Song

There's a lot of music being played in our house.  Sometimes all at the same time!  I just "love" it when I am listening to Paul Simon on the iPod in the kitchen and I hear someone turn on dc Talk in the family room (loudly) and then when I go upstairs, the Muppets are singing (equally loudly) from the girls' bedroom.  And everyone is trying to talk/yell over it.  It's "great".  Did you catch my use of quotation marks?!? :)

But don't be fooled.  The kids might be listening to a wide variety of music, but they have latched on to a few particular songs to play over and over and over.  And over.  We have played, "Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night" until even Lydia has it memorized.  You know that we love "Dynamite" ... still do.  We  also bop around the house to the High School Musical soundtracks ... "bop bop bop, bop to the top ... slip and slide and ride that rhythm ... zip zap zop, walk like a mop" ... pure poetry! :)

Most recently, we have been listening ad finitum to Nelly's "Just a Dream".  How many of you feel the need to "put your hands up" when he asks you to?  Just me? ... oh ... um, never mind.  Must be my closet-clubbing spirit coming out.  :)  Brett introduced them to this tune, not knowing that they would put it on automatic repeat 18 times in a row.  Oops.  I forgive you, Sweetie. :)

They are fun songs to dance to and the kids get plenty of exercise springing, bouncing, leaping and diving while they are playing.  Unfortunately, while they are catchy tunes ... I have periodic "What did they say?" moments while listening to them. We have had to nix a few songs that the kids heard and liked, but there are enough other songs out there that they are never without music.

There is one song in particular that they have glommed onto that I actually like.  Or at least that is, I like most of it.   Bruno Mars put out a hit single entitled, "Just the Way You Are".  I'm sure you have heard it as it's been on the Top 10 for several weeks.  It's a song about his girl and how beautiful she is to him.

"Oh her eyes, her eyes
Make the stars look like they're not shining
Her hair, her hair
Falls perfectly without her trying

She's so beautiful
And I tell her every day" 

He goes on to sing about her smile and her laugh ... and her insecurities?  Huh?

While to him she is beautiful, she is quick to question her appearance, her "look", how she believes others perceive her.  Shall we have a showing of hands for those of us who feel this way?  Anyone struggle a time or two (or three) with their self-image?  No?  Well ... I know you know who you are. :)

Ever feel this way? ...

"Yeah I know, I know
When I compliment her
She won't believe me
And it's so, it's so
Sad to think she don't see what I see"

That kinda hits home!  Poor Brett probably feels like banging his head against the wall every time he gives me a compliment and I deflect it with a, "Oh ... whatever ... I feel so (fill in the blank) ..."  Even though I am hungry to hear his sweet words of admiration, some part of my heart feels unworthy of that.  Ewwww ... Anybody else following along?  Nodding?  Feeling the same way?

Well ... because of this heart condition, I think that Brett could spend an entire day "singing my praises" and it wouldn't sink in ... unless, I let God love me first.  His sweet love can fill in the cracks in my wounded heart and make it able to soak up Brett's love.  Then ... when I hear the words:

"But every time she asks me do I look okay
I say

When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are"

... I can accept them and enjoy them and absorb them into my heart.

Mars goes on to sing about his girl's perfection and how she doesn't need to change anything ... and perhaps that's a little bit off the mark.  We are not perfect.  We all have parts of our lives, parts of our character that need changing.  But I think his intent is that he doesn't expect any more from her than who she is ... and that is sweet.

Now you have a little understanding as to why this is one song that I don't mind my kids listening to.  In just a few verses we see a healthy respect and affection for someone else.  The girl is esteemed for who she is.  She is valued and treasured.  A few aspects of a healthy relationship that I hope my kids will require in future friendships.  I hope that Aaron will be able to appreciate not just the physical aspects of the girls in his life, but also see their hearts.  And I hope that Norah, Ashley and Lydia will be comfortable in their own skins, embracing who they are, and stopping people in their tracks with their confidence and poise.

But there is more ...

What if we pretended for just a moment that the singer of this song was God.  And He was singing to you.  Sometimes we can take songs, books and movies and see God in them ... even though the writer/artist didn't intend it that way.  This is just such an example.  Take a minute and look back over the verses above and try to imagine God singing this to you, His sweet child.

(He does sing over you, you know

 ...  maybe not Bruno Mars tunes!  

In Zephaniah 3:17, we read, 

"The LORD your God is with you, 

   the Mighty Warrior who saves. 

He will take great delight in you; 

   in His love He will no longer rebuke you, 

   but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Just so you know ...)

You are amazing.  There's not a thing that He would change.  He made you ... Just the way you are.

So ... I guess, waking the past three mornings with this song in my head isn't such a bad thing.  It could actually be a sweet blessing as I start my day.  A reminder from God that He loves me deeply and He wants me to experience love deeply from those around me.  Just the way I am ...

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Thank you Directlyrics for the words to today's song:  "Just the Way You Are".