Call It What You Want ♬

Taylor Swift released another single from her new album a few weeks ago. The song Call It What You Want is about her relationship with her boyfriend, explaining how he makes her feel special and loved. He doesn't care about her reputation, and he loves her just as she is.

This article is not about how I adore the song (although I do!) or defending it (I'm sure some don't like it). But there's something very peculiar about the song: when you break it down, it reflects how many feel about their relationship with Jesus Christ! Let's take a peek, it just might become your new favorite "Christian" song!

♪ ALL MY FLOWERS GREW BACK AS THORNS

To me, this is representative of how we harden our hearts to God after being hurt or betrayed by the world. Instead of directing our anger at what's making us truly upset, we harden our hearts towards God. 

♬ WINDOWS BOARDED UP AFTER THE STORM

Often, when I sin, I want to hide away. I don't want to confess to my Christian friends, and I certainly don't want to confess to God. Even though I know that I have endless mercy and forgiveness, sometimes I feel like I might run out of chances. So I board up my windows and retreat inward into my shame. 

♫ HE BUILT A FIRE JUST TO KEEP ME WARM 

But Hallelujah! I hope y'all hear me. God doesn't want us to live this way! He wants us to be free. And instead of waiting until we come out of that boarded up shack we hide in, He meets us right in the middle of it. He reminds us that we are loved, that we are enough. He warms the cold parts of us (our shame) and he melts our hard hearts. 

♩ ALL THE DRAMA QUEENS TAKING SWINGS, ALL THE JOKERS DRESSING UP AS KINGS

At the end of the day, we live in a broken, broken world. It's a common saying that "broken people hurt broken people." It's something we can't avoid as Christians living in this world. 

♪ THEY FADE TO NOTHING WHEN I LOOK AT HIM

Yet, we know that when we fix our eyes on Christ, these things fade away. In the larger scheme of eternity and our reward in heaven, these petty, earthly wounds don't matter. 

♬ AND I KNOW I MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES EVERY TIME; BRIDGES BURN, I NEVER LEARN

And this points out our sinful nature. We do the same things wrong over and over again. We believe the lies of the enemy. We elevate things in our lives as idols so that they become more important than God. Though we repent and are forgiven, we will inevitably sin again. In that sense, we "never learn."

♪ AT LEAST I DID ONE THING RIGHT

For me, the "one thing right" is choosing to let go of my shame and ask for forgiveness. The actual act of repentance isn't something we can be forced into. It has to be a choice. Of course, we don't deserve it, and we can't earn it; however, the Lord extends it to us anyway. We have to be willing to accept it.

♬ HE LOVES ME LIKE I'M BRAND NEW

This lyric comes up in the chorus, and it's the first lyric that really made me think about Christ. We sin and we fail and we disappoint and we hurt, but God sees the blood of Christ covering us. He sees the new creations Christ has made us into. He literally loves us like we are brand new every day. How encouraging is that?

It's amazing how God can take anything in this world and use it to bring glory to Himself. Keep your eyes open, He may be speaking to you in ways you don't realize!

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*photo rights: Rolling Stone