God's Love Letter
Have you ever found yourself belting out a particular song while you are riding in the car, cleaning the house, cooking a meal, or taking a shower? I am not ashamed to say that I find myself doing this all of the time, whether the song is “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, “Oops I Did It Again” by Britney Spears (or any 90s song for that matter...), or even “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan. Recently though, while folding my laundry, I was listening to a playlist, specifically designed for all of the songs listed above, and I suddenly found myself busting out my beautiful “sing at the top of your lungs” voice to Katy Perry's "Unconditionally" song. I was in the middle of singing the refrain, “Unconditionnnnnnal! Unconditionnnnnnallyyyy! I will love youuuu unconditioonnnnnnallyyy!” when all of a sudden, a thought hit me...what if God is speaking to me at this very moment through these lyrics? Now hear me out...I’m not crazy! I promise! What is the deeper meaning behind lyrics? Just look at the first verse of the song:
Oh no, did I get too close?
Oh, did I almost see what's really on the inside?
All your insecurities. All the dirty laundry
Never made me blink one time.
How often are we afraid to show God, or even others, our insecurities? Our "dirty laundry?" WHY are we so afraid to reveal how messy and imperfect we are on the inside? God already knows everything about us, as even "the very hairs of [our] head[s] are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). Yet, he doesn’t care. He made us and loves us unconditionally for who we are. Messy and imperfect.
Unconditional, unconditionally
I will love you unconditionally
There is no fear now
Let go and just be free
I will love you unconditionally
When reflecting on the lyrics, I was also reminded of a few verses in Scripture, such as from the 1st epistle of John when he shares how “we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16). Or even furthermore, when Paul speaks to the Romans, he talks about “the love of God [which] has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5). Whenever we are feeling lonely or unloved, whenever we feel like we aren’t worthy of God’s love, remember that God IS love and created each and every one of us out of love. God doesn’t care if we have made a million mistakes in our lives. All He wants is for us to run back to His open arms and to give Him our entire messy selves. The very act of returning back to Him is enough in His eyes.
Last year, Pope Francis called for the “Year of Mercy.” It was a year to forgive friends, strengthen relationships with others, and strengthen our relationship with God. It was a time for us to ask for God’s mercy AND to show mercy towards others, as Pope Francis reminded us in one of his homilies that "no one can be excluded from God's mercy.” It seems only fair that we share with others the endless mercy and love that God has for us since he has made every one of us in His image. Even though the "Year of Mercy" has officially ended, it still lives on, as we are called everyday to be more loving, more forgiving, and more merciful to everyone we encounter.
So open up your heart and just let it begin
Open up your heart and just let it begin
Open up your heart and just let it begin
Open up your heart
So, let us “give thanks to the God of gods, for His loving kindness is everlasting” (Psalm 136:2). Through this Katy Perry song, God is sending a love letter to YOU to reveal that He loves you UNconditionnnnnnallyyyy!
