“Every day that passes I’m sure about a little bit less.” Ain’t that the truth. This pretty tune is performed wonderfully by a master of acoustic. The song doesn’t supply answers, but does offer security. “I believe in God, and God ain’t me.” Amen to that. Even folks like me who believe fully that the Kingdom of God is within, do not believe the folly that we ourselves are God. The security lies in the truth that “God is God.” There’s things we understand, much we don’t. There are questions here without answers, because the answers are ones we must make ourselves. How we answer them determines our relationships and actions. Does God truly believe in the individual? I’ve discovered that my answer is yes, but most folks I know believe that God believes only in institutions, not individuals (thus the establishment of religion). Who is right? We’ll know at some point, but not ours to fathom now. As sure as I am that I am right about God desiring a relationship with each person, I know that most other people are just as powerfully sure that religion is the way to know God. And that is how this song approaches the understanding of life. We might not ‘see’ the answers, but we trust that there are people who have seen, who do see. “And once in a while they pass the secret along to you and me.” I love songs that allow us to contemplate, “maybe this is why I’m here on Earth, and maybe not,” and do not supply answers. We need time to have open-ended discussion with ourselves, and we so seldom take it. It’s great that there is music to remind us of that journey. Joan Baez
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Joan Baez – God Is God
“Every day that passes I’m sure about a little bit less.” Ain’t that the truth. This pretty tune is performed wonderfully by a master of acoustic. The song doesn’t supply answers, but does offer security. “I believe in God, and God ain’t me.” Amen to that. Even folks like me who believe fully that the Kingdom of God is within, do not believe the folly that we ourselves are God. The security lies in the truth that “God is God.” There’s things we understand, much we don’t. There are questions here without answers, because the answers are ones we must make ourselves. How we answer them determines our relationships and actions. Does God truly believe in the individual? I’ve discovered that my answer is yes, but most folks I know believe that God believes only in institutions, not individuals (thus the establishment of religion). Who is right? We’ll know at some point, but not ours to fathom now. As sure as I am that I am right about God desiring a relationship with each person, I know that most other people are just as powerfully sure that religion is the way to know God. And that is how this song approaches the understanding of life. We might not ‘see’ the answers, but we trust that there are people who have seen, who do see. “And once in a while they pass the secret along to you and me.” I love songs that allow us to contemplate, “maybe this is why I’m here on Earth, and maybe not,” and do not supply answers. We need time to have open-ended discussion with ourselves, and we so seldom take it. It’s great that there is music to remind us of that journey. Joan Baez
