Today I am embracing my inner Rocker!

I recently found an old, homemade CD and I've had fun listening to some of the songs I burned onto it. It seems a lifetime ago, and yet the music still moves me deeply. One of the songs is I Need a Hero by Bonnie Tyler and/or the band ABBA pictured above. (Lyrics included below)

Having grown up in the 60s and 70s I can totally relate to the rock-n-roll mentality - to a point. This music is part of my history, part of me, and I haven't felt this alive or energized in this particular way in a long time. I stopped listening to rock-n-roll music in favor of country music in the 80s and then I stopped listening to the radio altogether about 15 years ago because the music was too raunchy or crude. There are a few songs that don't make me ill to listen to and I started burning my own CDs. Some of them contain a strange mix of 70s & 80s rock and Christina rock, which packs an amazing message of hope.

As I was listening to I Need a Hero today, it occurred to me that this longing for a hero, someone larger than life, someone strong and good, is a longing for Jesus. Take a minute and think about the words in light of what's happening in the world today:

Where have all the good men gone and where are all the Gods?

Where's the street wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?

Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night

He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

Who are the heroes today? Both men and women are disgracefully portrayed by the media as having no dignity or respect for self or others. Men are often portrayed as bullies or simpering idiots and women are bitches or needy whiners. If a character has a sense of morality, it does not extend to their sex life which seems to be a free-for-all valuing only the momentary pleasure - wherever one happens to be - and it has no regard for relationships or the hearts that may be destroyed on a selfish whim.

Fortunately, Jesus can, and does want to be our hero. He wants to fulfill the longing in the hearts of each and every human being on the planet. When I first started listening to the song forty years ago, I had no clue what I was really longing for, but the lyrics resonated in my heart as I wished that my husband was more like the hero in the song. What I realize now is that no human being can fill the void in our hearts that wants God. Only God can do that. We try to fill that void with many other things - sex, drugs, food, gambling, alcohol, work, exercise, etc. - but they provide only temporary satisfaction.

St. Augustine teaches: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in thee."

The 2nd verse articulates a felt understanding of a spiritual reality that our souls know but our intellect often struggles to accept. The fact that God IS reaching out to us and truly desires to be known and loved by us.

Somewhere after midnight in my wildest fantasy

Somewhere just beyond my reach there's someone reaching back for me

Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat

It's gonna take a Superman to sweep me off my feet

I spent much of my life searching for, but never finding, the perfect love that I somehow knew existed. Enter Jesus. God came crashing into my life in a big way at a time when I was losing hope that real love existed. He offered me His heart - talk about vulnerability! I was free to refuse Him but I couldn't, and my life started changing for the better.

Jesus really does meet us where we're at. Today I received the gift of knowing that I can listen to my music as loud as I want to and He is happy for the enjoyment I receive from it. I don't have to hide the rocker part of me from him (or myself) because He put it there. Now I am free to enjoy it within reason!

When I listen to this song now, I pray that Jesus will satisfy the longing for a hero in the hearts of all.

I Need a Hero

Where have all the good men gone and where are all the Gods?
Where's the street wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life, larger than life

Somewhere after midnight in my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach there's someone reaching back for me
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat
It's gonna take a Superman to sweep me off my feet

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above,
Out where the lightening strikes the sea,
I could swear there is someone somewhere watching me.
Through the wind and the chill and the rain,
Through the storm and the flood,
I can feel his approach like a fire in my blood.

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night......