Thursday, October 27, 2011

Fix You - Glee

Fix You by Coldplay is one of my favorite all time songs.

Glee is a show that I love at times and hate at others. Many episodes deal with questions that Christ-followers like myself need to think about (like in this episode). It can be very heavy handed in promoting a world view that is very much out of sync with mine, but it also can deal with human emotions and struggles in ways that ring true. Not to mention it has good music.

The last scene of the episode "Asian F" created one of the moments that fall on the "love" side. And part of the reason is that it featured Fix You.
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What is prayer? Yes, it's communication with God, but I believe Scripture teaches that it springs from total, utter dependence on him. As long as we think we can make it on our own, prayer has a tendency to be something we fit into a compartment of our otherwise self-sufficient lives.

That's why I love this scene. (If you want to watch the episode, it's here.) Here are two people who may not have a clue about a relationship with their Creator. One of them (Will) states that he has no idea. The other (Emma) says that she prays all the time but that God hears her better on her knees. But here they are at their wit's end, and prayer is where Emma turns. And where Will is willing to meet her.

Setting it up briefly, Emma's OCD has returned due to a traumatic experience caused in part by her boyfriend Will. He wants to make it right but doesn't know how. She kneels beside the bed to pray and he says, "I wish I could make things better for you, but I don't know how." Then he kneels beside her saying, "I don't have any idea what I'm doing down here, but I'm willing to try."

That is so where a real relationship with God has to begin - we have to know that we have no idea what we're doing. It's all him, none of us. That, people, is prayer.

At that point, Will breaks into song. (It is, after all, a musical show.) And for this Coldplay fan, it was powerful. Here it is:


Is Will still trying to figure out how to fix things on his own? Sure. But it's very clear he doesn't know how.

I don't know how to fix my life either. I had a very bad day Tuesday, one I am not proud of. I allowed my feelings of pride to overshadow my desire to glorify God. I was looking at me, not him. But the first step to overcoming that is prayer. Real prayer - a dependence on God that starts from a place of helplessness.

It's all through Scripture. And in corners of our culture if we're looking. I have no idea what I'm doing on my own. I can't fix it. But I know Someone who can. 

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