With the passing of Prince, I really had no intention of doing anything about his death etc. Then I saw the posts. There were people posting, oh, great you can grieve for someone because they are famous but not for our dying soldiers. You can grieve for someone famous but not the people who died in XYZ. I saw all kind of situations that have happened. Personally, I feel like that is a bunch of bologna. Yes, probably not the right word. Let me tell you why people grieve for specifically Prince. I'm not going to lie, other famous people died and I reacted with oh that's sad. I didn't have to take a moment to think about them like I did Prince.
Let me start with all the people who said, "Seriously on Faith Friday?" Prince is an icon. Prince has never had a lawsuit against him, he has never been arrested. Yes he was different but that man was seriously comfortable with who he was. He was also raised a Christian and died a Jehovah's Witness. Although many people don't consider Jehovah's Witness to be Christian, they do believe in Jesus and God and they by definition do try to be more Christ like thus making them a form of Christianity. People connect with Prince because he is not ashamed of who he is. He does have sexual tones in his videos and some of his music was yes over the top not acceptable. But he himself admits some of his music occurred when he had fallen away. Have you never fallen away? Have you never sinned or made bad choices? Just as a litmus, are you wearing white cotton? If the answer is no congrats you have a sin! Sorry its the easiest one to pull because some people have done great at avoiding the other ones. You also aren't supposed to eat pork because it has a cloven hoof and doesn't chew its own cud. That being said, we have all screwed up. God still loves us.
But I ask you now, have you ever read his lyrics? Let me give you a few to read. For copyright reasons I can't just transfer them over here, however, that being said, I can give you some lyrics to look up. Here is a list of lyrics that might make you see the man behind the music.
- I Would Die 4 You
- The Ladder
- The Cross
- I Wish You Heaven
- 7
- And God Created Woman
This is a short list. But that being said there are many more. 7 is a little less obvious than the others...but what do you know about the bible that is 7. How do we fight the 7 deadly sins. We use our minds and what we have learned with our bible and we use our ability to avoid thing. Now if you are going to watch all 7 fall because they stand in the way of love....what love? Gods love. If you look at 7 the way it is meant, the whole song...has a great connective story.
For me personally, I wish I could say that my connection with prince was completely because of these songs. For me music has always had a connection to my life. I can hear a song and know I danced with this boy for the first time. I was listening to that song during my first breakup or I listen to that song EVERY TIME I am upset. No I wasn't saved when I used to listen to prince and wear out cassette tapes (yup I'm that old). I did however, recognize the meaning between his songs that were Christian based. I heard the word and I got the point. I honestly adore listening to prince and listening to some of his songs even now. There are many of them if you listen to the words you get the point. We all have sin. We all make mistakes. But this man connected with people's lives in a way that no other artist since maybe Elvis really has. Everyone knows who Prince is. Yes there is Michael Jackson but look at all of his legal troubles and accusations. Some people liked David Bowie but he was a like him or hate him performer. I liked him but I didn't listen to him like I listened to Prince.
Maybe just maybe this is a sign that at the end of the day, you don't really know someone's soul. You can refuse to listen to a song because that one song has stuff in it you don't want put into your mind. I get that. I do that daily. I make my own CDs of music I already own so I can listen to what I want to. But don't rule out an entire person because of one bad thing or 50 bad things. There is usually still something good inside that person. And if you give up, who will ever see it. Ultimately, I know some people who read this, probably most, won't look up the lyrics to these songs. Some may already know this information. But those who didn't and do. You may have a whole new outlook on this performer.
I also ask that since you are reading this....you step up and look at the people you judge. Do you look for that mustard seed inside of them? That thing that God has given them that makes them special? Or do you decide that because you don't agree with something they are or something they do that you have some right to push them aside. Things we are and things we do.....they don't determine what we are to God. We are all God's children. God has asked us to look at the world as children. What would a child say about someone different. Would they not talk to them. And if you say no they wouldn't, is that because they wouldn't want to or because their parent told them not to. God has never told us not to. Just a thought.
Have a blessed day.
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