Francesca Battistelli - Perhaps, like me, you never heard her name. I was driving to work one morning when I heard these words, "Cause I got a couple of dents in my fender; Got a couple of rips in my jeans; Try to fit the pieces together; But perfection is my enemy; On my own I'm so clumsy; But on Your shoulders I can see; I'm free to be me." I was intrigued, so I did some investigating on-line and found Francesca's second radio single, "Free To Be Me," has set an incredible record! It is being played on more radio stations than ANY other single from a new artist in Christian radio in all of history! 94 out of 118 stations are playing it! 1
So I asked myself - why? Why was I instantly intrigued? Why has her song sky-rocketed in popularity? This is what I think: because teens and 20-somethings resonate with the words of her song. The first lyrics that jumped out at me were - "a couple of rips in my jeans" - we used to throw out clothes that got so ripped they were tattered, but now young people pay money (and often quite a bit of it) to buy clothes already torn!
More importantly, the second phrase that jumped out at me was, "But perfection is my enemy." I am by no means an expert. I have two grown children and have had many, many conversations with young people. It is apparent when talking to them that in many ways they are not trying to be like us, they are different. They are crying out for us to see beyond the hair, the earrings, the piercings, tattoos, and torn jeans. Every time we try to put a standard before them (that is not specifically God's) it comes across to them as disapproval, unacceptance, and critical judgment-the enemy of their souls. If we were to be honest, it is the enemy our souls as well. Perfection is not our friend - perfection is a standard of law, a measure of acceptability. The law brings the realization that we cannot keep it. "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain... But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor." Galatians 3:21, 23-25 We cannot be perfect in ourselves. We cannot live up to a standard, and if we think we do, let us fall on our face and repent of our self-righteousness.
If you know Jesus Christ, the only righteousness you have is His. Our young friends will be saved by the same grace that saved you and me. Jesus looks past the hair, the make-up, the torn jeans, the pierced noses, lips and brows, beyond the spikes, tattoos and gauges. He sees the heart. He reaches down and marvelously saves by His grace and in so doing sets each one of us free. Free to be ourselves IN HIM. My friends, let us stop looking down our un-pierced noses at those who are unlike us and rather pray that we can embrace them and love them as Jesus does and, frankly, that they can love and embrace us, as Jesus does.
Diane
1 http://www.francescamusic.com/news accessed 1 14 09
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