All I need: the translation

"Do you know where your heart is?

Do you think you can find it?

Or did you trade it for something

Somewhere better just to have it?"

First a confession:  I love One Republic!  P.S. I saw them live at the Today Show in NYC and they were just as perfect! Every time I hear this song I think about the people we see every day... You know the ones, walking down the street, head down and so overwhelmed by life you can almost see them drowning in all their thoughts.  They may be dressed to kill, have every hair in place and that Lexus parked on the next block could have their name on it but somewhere they've lost something, a part of themselves they think they can never get back... And even if they felt the possibility of it's return where would they look for it?  It's been so long, there has been so much happen since, and is it even all in one piece or did they give it away one piece at a time?

"Do you know where your love is?

Do you think that you lost it?

You felt it so strong but

Nothings turned out how you wanted"

Now that they've lost their own heart how can they care for the heart of another? Not that they choose not to care they can't help it... And I'm not talking about care as in concern but taking care of something entrusted to them... Friendships are neglected of time because they are just too busy trying to hold it all together...  Love is faded through lack of quality time if not cut short by dragging in baggage from the past... And families are betrayed by lies and resentment.  But these are all just symptoms... When blood doesn't get pumped through a heart each extremity dies quickly, no one can survive long without a heart, sure there are bypass machines but they aren't equipped for you to live a life off of.

"Well bless my soul

You're a lonely soul

Cause you won't let go
Of anything you hold"

Look, here's the deal, we all have given pieces of our heart away... We all have regrets and wish we could get those pieces back...  We all get lonely at night sometimes and we all beg an answer to "can't life get better than what I'm living right now?"  

A thought ran through my mind last night, "We are so afraid to give up complete control we won't give up ANY control."  And the beautiful and frightening truth is God gave each of us our own will and he will not take what we do not give him... He wants control because He knows how to make this life complete for us but we have to put our lives in His hands.  He's loving, understanding and kind and He won't make you give to Him what you are not capable to let go of at this point but that doesn't mean He doesn't want it eventually...

 

"Do you know what your fate is?

And are you trying to shake it?

You're doing your best and your best look"

Isn't that just the problem with a lot of things?  We don't really know what our fate is, we aren't totally secure...  Sometimes we think we know our fate and it's not what we want so we try to fill a void, try to forget, try to shake the thoughts but we can't quite escape... We want to do better for our relationships but just can't change our behavior. We want to give it to God but can we actually let go?

"You're praying that you make it

Whenever the end is

Do you think you can see it?"

And there it is, the key to every answer we've posed... Praying.  We don't need to know when the end is we don't have to see it.. We just have to prepare for it... And the best part? Preparing for the end will help us with not only the future but the present! So I'm going to pray and I invite you to pray in your own words a prayer like this, open your heart to God, invite Him in and ask Him to give you all of what He is.

"God, I know I like to control things in my own life... I've had to protect myself a whole lot throughout my years and, to be honest, that makes it hard for me to let my guard down and allow you to become my protector, but I need to do just that, Lord. I love you God and I want to grow closer to you, I want you to be proud of me and I want our relationship to develop into something sensational! I commit to trying a little harder for you each day, starting today.  Help me let go of my past, the behaviour that harms my life and the people I'm surrounded by but most of all the behaviour that hurts our relationship.  I'm sorry for any actions I've done that I recognize are wrong and the ones I do not and somehow prick my conscience when I'm hurting you in the future. I want to change and I promise to try but strengthen me for the journey.

As this song goes, 'all i need is the air i breathe and a place to rest my head' which is more than what you had on earth but more than air and a pillow I need you in my life because you are the provider of all in the first place! I'm doing what I know to do God and I will seek to learn more through your word and people you put in my life to teach me; what I cannot do for myself please do for me to bring us into the same kind of relationship I read about the people having in the New Testament.  I love you so much, thank you for loving me! Amen."