If everyone cared…

by Meg Dendler

I’ve grown rather accustomed to mentally tuning out the music my daughters play, often at competing volume levels, from their respective bedrooms. But one afternoon as we drove in the car a favorite of my older daughter’s came on and I really started listening to the words. What I heard from the gravely voice of rock band Nickelback’s lead singer shocked me, but in a good way for once. He sang:

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we’d see the day when nobody died.
(”If Everyone Cared,” 2005)

Wow! What a message of love and peace to spread over the airwaves.

But then I really started to ponder the concept behind the promise of these lyrics. Based on what I understand to be the nature and reality of man’s spiritual being and the universe of God, Nickelback’s logic is right on target. If everyone cared and loved each other, wars would end. Murderous behavior would cease. No crying or coveting would mean everyone was joyful and stress free. It might not get us to the place where death totally stopped being a part of the human experience, but we’d sure be on the right path.

No more death and victory over death are frequent New Testament topics. The book of Revelation certainly holds up the same ideals as this song in the promise of what the presence of the Christ can do for mankind—no more death, no more sorrow, nor crying, or anymore pain. That’s not just an expectation for some heavenly place in the clouds, but right within our lives here and now when we understand our oneness with God and live as divine brothers and sisters.

But how can we even begin to hope for this deathless day when everything around us screams of war, famine, and man’s inhumanity to man. Even the soap opera magazine at the check out counter rack promotes “Who will die?” as a reason to tune in. It can seem overwhelming to any sense of goodness, love, and peace. Is it possible to accomplish one hour, even one second, when there is no evil or lying or pride going on in the world?

It seems that we are far away from that Biblical day. But what if I make the goal of my day to care for each person I come into contact with and express compassion with their tears—and avoid causing any? What if I focus on expressing love and never tell even the smallest of lies. What if I share the good I have and genuinely try not to covet another’s good? What if I swallow my pride—no matter how many times I have to choke it down?

Maybe that’s the goal of the song, and certainly the goal of the Scriptures—to bring us step by step closer to living lives that are filled with harmony and good and have no need of ending.

I’m reminded of these ideas often—it’s a popular song. But it’s a message worth repeating, and a day worth praying for.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 7:02 pm and is filed under Love, World Issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.