After last night and all of the madness that was the BET awards, there has been so many opinions about the awards show. According to mostly twitter and some facebook, it seems as though half of the people thought it was repulsive and set black people back a few years and then the other half just found the comical nature in it. Honestly, I am between the two camps...but what I did want to address today is what a lot of people seemed have negative commnents about (there were a lot of elements in the show), but I'm going to discuss the Mary Mary performance of "God in Me" which was featuring Queen Latifah (Even though I was disturbed by Wayne and all the kids on the stage...(another post)).
Ok whew...deep breath. First let me say, that I in fact like the song a lot, and I think it is a great song to listen to in order to remember that NO ONE knows your relationship with God but you. Also I think it is important to keep in mind that they have gotten a lot of criticism from their video as well, which featured many popular artists. Anywho...so folks were saying that they were ungodly because of their clothes or the beat of this particular song. So what I'm wondering is what did you want them to wear? Long drab gowns? Or large pant suits? Part of what makes Mary Mary and other "urban gospel artists" so effective is they appeal to many people who might not even be saved, but by listening to their songs who knows what may happen...
The ironic part is if people actually stopped and listened to the song it is addresses exactly what people are doing, which is JUDGING. I think judging has become a global epidemic...not even in the world, but as small as a local/college level happens because people judge and don't know who you truly are or what you believe. So here comes an artist that has been able to transcend what people usually think of gospel music (a large choir, jubilant director, and passionate people performing solos), and they are still criticized. So is gospel music only acceptable if you are in long choir robes that cover up every inch of your body? I will post some lyrics here and let you interpret it yourself...
But what they don't know is when you go home
and get behind closed doors man you hit the floor
and what they can't see is your on your knees
So the next time you get it just tell em
It's the God in me
(My fav verse...wasn't performed on the awards show)
Kierra Sheard:
What is it you think you see
when you see me, you see me
You don't know how much I pray
don't know how much I gave
don't know how much I changed
I'm just trying to explain
It's the God in me.
So anyways...all I'm saying is what do people expect from you if you are saved? I think the dichotomy that we create, makes people think they cannot obtain a healthy relationship with God; we are all imperfect striving to be better..
So anyone that really knows me, knows that I believe most problems can be solved with much personal introspection. Often people are looking to blame others for their problems/issues/things that have happened, but things are different once you look within yourself. So I think it will be fitting to conclude with a bible verse.
Matthew 7:3-5 3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Until Next Time...
i love that song too! its been coming up a lot in my life lately. it was actually the basis for the sermon at church yesterday =) i think you make a lot of relevant points. judging is out of control these days & i feel like people judge others because they have nothing better to do with their lives. its crazy to me the way people judge contemporary gospel artists because they dont fit the "traditional" image. these artists touch people who may not normally be exposed to gospel. they play "god in me" on hip-hop/r&b stations in the regular mix. i remember bet playing kirk franklin's "looking for you" video in the regular rotation as well. this is wonderful in my opinion, as gospel songs are usually set apart from secular ones which means there is a much lower chance of them reaching people who arent specifically looking for gospel music. all of the criticism for these artists is weak and unnecessary. great scripture choice
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. I feel like once upon a time I used to be that judgemental person. And then I saw someone make a judgement another person about something that they embodies themselves. It was like a lightbulb went off and I realized that judgement is relative, therefore unless a person is perfect, they have no room to judge. People need to work on themselves first and try to help others, not bring them down. I have come to the conclusion that often, the most critical people are the ones who have the most issues. Going off of this, I have tried to rid myself of negative people or keep them at an arms distance because judgment is neither healthy nor productive.
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