Proverb 6: 16
There are six things that the Lord hates, even seven that are disgusting to him.
Hate is not something Christians talk about or dwell in. However, even God hates a few things and I fear I have experienced a similar emotion.
A couple of weeks ago I was riding a bicycle class at the gym. These classes are set to music. The last song of the ride was What’s Love Got to Do with It by Tina Turner. It is a well known song but definitely has a dark side. Most of the song consists of this lyric:
Oh-oh, what’s love got to do, got to do with it?
What’s love but a second-hand emotion?
What’s love got to do, got to do with it?
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?
Now, this is not a criticism of Tina Turner or even the songwriters but what kind of society do we live in that over 30 years after its release we are still singing such a horrid lyric? The person leading the bike class said, “Oh, I love this song.” Wow, that’s kind of oxymoronic, isn’t it? How can we believe in love at any level and accept such a denunciation of it?
You can empathize with someone who has been hurt and thus can relate to the song, but hopefully that person heals and comes to understand the soullessness of the song, even to despise the lack of faith and belief in love or even the possibility of love.
The song is about having sex with another person and the imperative not to let love enter into the exchange. How many things are wrong in that? I can say, I really do hate this song. It has a good beat and lures you into singing it but that day I wanted to get off my bike and leave the room. I simply cannot stand this song any longer. What does love have to do with it? Absolutely everything and that is what I answer, aloud, when I hear the song. And I did that day as well. You don’t want to be around me because I am going to push back. I am not going to let songs and lyrics like this poison my spirit, a spirit which, by the way, is sanctioned in love. The spirit which is within me was born in love, created by love.
We all get hurt and probably more of us than would like to admit can relate to Tina Turner’s song, but I hope she has found reason to sing a new song, a better song as I know we have. Love sent Jesus to earth for us. The more you intertwine your life with Jesus, the more the world becomes a strange place to live. It becomes harder to turn a deaf ear to language and ideas that are in direct contradiction with everything our Father is.
Let me get theological for just one moment. If that song is diametrically opposed to what our God is and what our Lord teaches, what is its source? Obviously, God had nothing to do with the writing of this song. Was it just damaged people expressing worldly ideas? Or is there more to it? I don’t know the answer, but it does make one wonder because this song undermines so much of what we believe in. Generations of children have grown up with this lyric. What has it done to their impressionable spirits? It has sown seeds of promiscuity and for denying the importance and power of love.
Love is the greatest force in the universe. He, Love, created this earth and all the stars in the heavens. He sent His beloved to this broken, decaying world to save all the silly little humans who live here so that we would not spend eternity in the lake of fire. There is so much more though. He, Love, is alive and well right now here on planet earth. He is here to live with us, to heal our broken hearts and to help us live better lives. He mends our spirits and restores us simply because that is what love does. Whatsmore, love is doing just that every day of the year. He will move into any heart that will have Him and heal the broken parts. He will give us as much healing and love as we will allow.
What’s love got to do with it? Absolutely everything . . . and everything meaningful is born of love.