Everything

One of my favourite popular artists is Alanis Morissette. I think she managed to remain herself in an industry which works hard to sell an image of you they think you should be. I like her music because it is raw and real. When I hear it I am reminded of the Psalms and of Lamentations. She exsiccates from lament to praise. No matter what – she is real.

My friends the Crouse’s gave me a he CD “The Collection” for my birthday and I have been enjoying so much listening to it. I am really taken by the song Everything. (If you want to see the lyrics click here http://alanis-morissette.lyrics-songs.com/lyrics/83129)

To me this song is deeply spiritual. It speaks to the nature of God’s presence with us all of the time. It speaks so well of God who understands our humanity fully.  The Chorus is like a prayer refrain –

You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I’m ashamed
There’s not anything to which you can’t relate
And you’re still here

There is honesty about self in this song. In it she laments her passive-aggressiveness, her moodiness, her negativity while at the same time acknowledging her wisdom, her bravery, her kindness and positive approach. I hear those words and I connect because it is so real. It speaks of the complexity of us all. We are all of the stuff of which she sings. We are paradoxical indeed. Living brings us into great moments of kindness as well moments of great pettiness and insecurity. I think we can all relate to knowing how we are sometimes so together and at other times so discombobulated. I think this song gives voice to what we often feel inside. And God is still with is in all of it!

Just as the Psalmist is able to articulate all of the lament and yet bring it all back to a point of praise. In this song we hear not just the truth about the human condition, but we hear the great truth about the One who can be with us through all of our condition. God sees everything, sees every part. God sees all of our light and loves our dark. God digs that of which we are ashamed. There is nothing to which God cannot relate. And God is still here. God loves us out of our darkness and gets it when we are ashamed. This is a great song. It is a great poem. This reveals a piece of the holy of love of God.

On a humourous note I think the song could include a line like I am Canadian and she could go on about those great attributes and the I am Americian (She took out citizenship last year) and she could elaborate on the darker side (LOL ..a light joke to the American readers) .  

If you have not heard this song – listen to it. If you need it I can email you a file of it. It is a wonderful soft melody and it sooths my soul.