I got the new Regina Spektor record a few weeks ago. If you haven’t heard her, she’s fantastic. She has a very unique approach to her songwriting. But anyways, she has a song called Laughing With… here’s the lyrics below. (I may post the song on my blog later if you would like.) It just got me thinking about a lot of what I hear around the various cultures I get to see in my life. Don’t get your guard up if you don’t believe in God… I’m not here to tell you what to think. If anything I just want help people actually think every once in awhile. I am merely observing and questioning.
LAUGHING WITH - Regina Spektor
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God
When they’re starving or freezing or so very poor
No one laughs at God when the doctor calls
After some routine tests
No one’s laughing at God
when it’s gotten real late
And their kid’s not back from that party yet
No one laughs at God when their airplane
Starts to uncontrollably shake
No one’s laughing at God
When they see the one they love hand in hand
with someone else and they hope that they’re mistaken
No one laughs at God when the cops knock on their door
And they say “We’ve got some bad news, sir,”
No one’s laughing at God
When there’s a famine, fire or flood
But God can be funny
At a cocktail party while listening to a good God-themed joke or
When the crazies say he hates us
and they get so red in the head
You think that they’re about to choke
God can be funny
When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie
Who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious
Ha ha, ha ha
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God
when they’ve lost all they got
And they don’t know what for
No one laughs at God on the day they realize
that the last sight they’ll ever see is a pair of hateful eyes
No one’s laughing at God
When they’re saying their goodbyes
But God can be funny
At a cocktail party while listening to a good God-themed joke or
When the crazies say he hates us and they get so red in the head
you think that they’re about to choke
God can be funny
When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie
Who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
(repeat)
No one’s laughing at God in a hospital
No one’s laughing at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God
When they’re starving or freezing or so very poor
No one’s laughing at God
(repeat)
We’re all “laughing with God”
We’ve made God a household name. And at the end of the day I don’t know whether to smile or weep. For the most part, everyone “knows” God. He’s our buddy when we feel like it. But what happened to fearing Him. What happened to the irreverent God that the Saints laid their lives for. Have we somehow stripped God of his power?
We’ve turned God into a joke, or a place for temporary comfort when we’ve got no where else to go. But is there anyone left who fears, and trusts?
People on the Indonesian island of Bali believe there are gods in everything, even the pieces of garbage on the street. They show respect to all the gods out of fear, because they believe that their gods are more powerful than themselves, and no one wants a god angry with them. Around the world, America is known as a “Christian” nation… In this “Christian” nation we’ve been taught that God is the God of grace, and unconditional love. While that message may remain true, we’ve been left with an image of God as a pacifist, sissy creator who is there to give us hand outs and “attaboys.” I feel like the Christian church as a whole has lost a true image of the God of the Bible.
Does anyone still believe in God? And I don’t mean the idea of God… I mean does anyone still believe in GOD?
