Image there’s a Heaven …
A couple weeks back we had a lively exchange on Facebook between friends re: the song ‘Imagine’ (by John Lennon), started by someone wondering whether the song was inspired by a dark spirit or not; if it might be the theme song of the coming one world government that’s predicted in Bible prophecies … We went back and forth on the topic, discussing the intention or feeling behind the lyrics, etc., discussing the obvious points about John Lennon’s basic beliefs regarding religion & the afterlife as portrayed in the song. Some were trying to ‘balance’ things in the discussion a bit by pointing out what they thought he was really attacking in his song: UNGODLY religion, SELFISH materialism, DEVISIVE nationalism, and while expressing the deep desire in men’s hearts to fix our broken world. I’m not sure who ‘won’ this debate (both sides shared very valid points), but it got me thinking about something I feel God revealed to me in the not so distant past regarding this song and others:
I’ve been involved musically in two main areas for the last 45 years: Christian music (encompassing spiritual/moral/educational themes) and secular music. I have to admit that the first category is where I’ve spent the most enjoyable musical years of my life: writing, singing, and producing songs with positive messages based mostly on Jesus’ teachings and life sample. One of my top joys was singing such songs in public with my children for audiences everywhere, watching people be touched and moved by the messages and happiness we transmitted in our performances. My now grown kids may not have the same warm memories of those days, but I cherish those times, remembering most of all the reactions of those we sang for. The Christmas season was my absolute favorite time of all, sharing the joy surrounding that historical event in song!
As the years progressed we incorporated some meaningful secular songs in our repertoire, and after my children all moved on to other places, studies, jobs and interests, I found myself singing part-time in restaurants and private events with a repertoire nearly 100% secular. Although I very much enjoyed the richness of the melodies I learned, and the cleverness of the lyrics that made each of these songs ‘hits’, it bothered me a bit that the messages I was sharing were pretty limited in scope and message, and hardly ever providing real answers to what is wrong in the world, much less suggesting how to fix anything. Although I always tried to choose songs that were either fun or meaningful to some degree, trying to avoid the more negative downer type songs, it still bothered me that I was singing mostly entertaining music rather than addressing what to me were more important issues.
At one point in my life I debated with myself over this change of going from full-time ‘spiritual’ music to full-time secular music — how it had come to that? Why was I doing this? How had I ended up here? In spite of my on-going desire to ‘change the world’ with encouraging & uplifting music, I was using my times in front of the public to share mostly HUMAN love songs with all their ups and downs, jealousies and heartbreaks … I took my frustrations to the Lord and feel I got a very clear answer from Him, as always happens sooner or later when I turn to Him for guidance.
First an observation: In Mexico we sometimes sing ‘Father and Son’ by Cat Stevens, a very popular song here. The words of the song are VERY clear: a divided family, with a son standing up against his parents for their lack of understanding of his heart, desires, and dreams — a song born in a time of great division in the world, describing tough times of generational disagreement, which boils down to the normal process of a young person rejecting the ‘old’ and embracing the new. Yet when we perform this song here, whole families will stand up, and rock back and forth arm in arm singing along togther … WHAT!?!?! Don’t they HEAR the WORDS? Don’t they GET the MESSAGE???
Every time we sing the song ‘Imagine’ as well, audiences here are equally moved, it seems to strike an inner chord. (I always change the words a bit: “Imagine there’s a Heaven” for the opening line, as I can NOT imagine there being no Heaven personally). I came to realize that they are echoing the heart cry born in a large majority of humans for the end of all injustice, hatred, war and selfishness and everything that’s wrong in our modern world — and unfortunately for which RELIGION is partly to blame, hence the dig at religion. I think that deep down inside most people WANT to live in a world free of war, injustice, poverty, selfishness, sickness and disease, somewhere we could live with all our loved ones forever — and to me that describes what would be HEAVEN. So I have come to believe the WORDS may say one thing, but the SPIRIT and INTENT of the song transmit something else, and that something rings true with audiences everywhere.
The verse the Lord gave me when pondering all of this above-mentioned was that “Your Father which is in Heaven…makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45).Our perfect God who we always heard cannot put up with evil and encourages the good, sends two of our most basic human necessities — light/warmth and rain (water) to ALL his creatures, not based on their worthiness but because of His love and faithfulness.
The ‘unjust,’ those who resist doing what’s right and good, certainly don’t DESERVE sun or rain in my mind, since that will just prosper their crops, refresh their souls, and fill their existences with water — and therefore their overall wealth — allowing them to continue to live their ‘unjust’ lives. Yet God in His great love for humanity, sends both to them as well as to the righteous. — Something very few of us would do if we had the power and position God has I dare say.
With that verse I feel He was showing me that He sends beautiful melodies and compositions to humanity, through a massive variety of gifted individuals, who may or may not even know Him, and who may or may not intend to glorify Him or even be faintly interested in Him. Why? Because He LOVES humanity, and is feeding His world with something that refreshes the human spirit, and which is nearly food for their souls. We all know the transforming power of music, how it lifts, inspires, and gets us up and dancing, and helps us forget our troubles. Of course there is also the dark side to some music which brings down and destroys, discourages and foments negativity in many forms. — That kind of music we should avoid as we should avoid ingesting poison — but even ‘Silly Love Songs’ tend to pull us out of a bad place we can find ourselves in. In my performances I have tried to choose songs that are positive for the most part, avoiding negative music that depresses or speaks of bummer situations as much as possible. My singing partners think much the same — and we have been told on many an occasion: “I came in here so depressed and bummed out about a situation, but left walking on a cloud, thanks to your music!”
Well, it helped me see that there was indeed something (or Someone) behind these “secular” songs, and their melodies and rhythms; and that no matter the motivation of the composers, the Author and Finisher had His OWN intentions, and was making sure there was something special in each song that would lift, encourage, strengthen, and give life. The words might be saying one thing (like with ‘Imagine’) but the SPIRIT that comes across is miraculously different, uplifting and inspiring.
Now I’m not going to argue theology on this point — but it is something I have observed during my years of singing these “less spiritual” songs, and I do believe that His answer helped me to grasp what I have lived and experienced, and made me relax and enjoy singing them as well as the other message filled songs. Whatever man intended, God gets the last word on the matter, and the ultimate glory for the fact that our world, hearts and minds, are filled with rich melodies, haunting refrains, and happy joyful music of all types — and that we as humans are richer for it. The composers may or may not always speak of Him or want to glorify Him, but nevertheless our world is richer and more pleasant from what He has sent to uplift and inspire the human heart through imperfect human vessels.
P.S. Interesting side note from Wikipedia on this song and it’s composition: When asked about the song’s meaning during a December 1980 interview with David Sheff for Playboy magazine, Lennon told Sheff that comedian Dick Gregory had given Ono and him a Christian prayer book book, which inspired him the concept behind “Imagine”.
“The concept of positive prayer … If you can IMAGINE a world at peace, with no denominations of religion — not without religion but without this my God-is-bigger-than-your-God thing — then it can be true” …