Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Hole Hearted

This is a song that undoubtedly played a huge part in my crying out to God several years ago, as I longed for a relationship with Him. As I look back, I think this song probably helped me and hurt me at the same time! I don't know how well I can explain it, but I'll try. I think that the thoughts conveyed in the lyrics did truly cause me to cry out to God, helping me to draw near to Him. But at the same time I think it also served to fortify the faulty notion that I had to change my life before I could ever truly be "at peace" with God.

A little background: The band Extreme had issues of Christ and Christianity woven throughout much of their music, but often in a cynical ways that seemed to lean towards doubt rather than trust and faith. I'm not judging the members of the band; I'm just trying to describe the content of the lyrics. If you think of the rants of Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes, you might get some sort of an idea of a few of their songs. Other songs were just plain raunchy and other songs were quite beautiful love songs! I will say this: I think their music was probably an honest reflection of where they were at in life.

I think the song Hole Hearted is a very honest song, coming from the heart of someone who knows that their empty heart can never be filled by doing the things they do. But here's the thing. The reason I wanted to post this is because of the one HUGE difference between how I used to view the lyrics and how I view them now.

The chorus says, "There's a hole in my heart that can only be filled by you. And this hole in my heart can't be filled with the things I do." (Later on in the song, the chorus is changed to, "Should have known from the start I'd fall short with the things I do").

I used to look at this only from the perspective of the "bad" things I do. You know, how I won't find peace of mind and how my empty heart won't be filled if I keep doing "bad" things. The "bad" things I do cause me to fall short in my relationship with God.

But nowadays I see things from a completely different angle. Not only do my "bad" things fall short, but my own attempts at "good" things fall short as well. My empty heart can only be filled in one way... and it's not through what I DO, whether good or bad. My heart can only be filled through God's gift of His Son Jesus, who lives in me. This Person, Jesus, is where all fullness and completeness and sufficiency is found. Good deeds that please God are the result, or overflow, of this fullness - not the cause of it!

Anyway, musically this is a great song, and when the lyrics are taken in the context of grace and the New Covenant, I believe it's a solid song all the way around!



Life's ambition occupies my time
Priorities confuse the mind
Happiness, one step behind
This inner peace I've yet to find

Rivers flow into the sea
Yet even the sea is not so full of me
If I'm not blind why can't I see
That a circle can't fit
Where a square should be

There's a hole in my heart
That can only be filled by you
And this hole in my heart
Can't be filled with the things I do

Hole hearted
Hole hearted

This heart of stone is where I hide
These feet of clay kept warm inside
Day by day less satisfied
Not fade away before I die

Rivers flow into the sea
Yet even the sea is not so full of me
If I'm not blind why can't I see
That a circle can't fit
Where a square should be

There's a hole in my heart
That can only be filled by you
And this hole in my heart
Can't be filled with the things I do

There's a hole in my heart
That can only be filled by you
Should have known from the start
I'd fall short with the things I do

Hole hearted
Hole hearted
Hole hearted
Hole hearted

3 comments:

  1. Joel, this is so neat! I had a cassette tape *gasp* by this group years ago and I absolutely wore it out, lol. I did not know that they sang this song but I remember the tune very well. Amazing words!! Very telling, indeed and an incredible parallel to grace. Thanks for sharing the video. I had never seen it.

    Good stuff, good stuff! :o)

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  2. Haha! Cassette tapes! I also have one or two cassettes of theirs. :) (And also two CD's). I actually have two cassette holders on my wall that hold 100 cassettes each, and there's only a few empty slots. After a legalistic binge that I went on back in 1992, in which I smashed and threw away over 200 'secular' tapes and record albums, I've built my collection back up (sort of) and I never throw music away anymore.

    Back in the day the big thing was recording vinyl records onto tapes so I could listen to them in my car! Nowadays it's mostly a matter of downloading a song or two now and then! My how times have changed in such a short time.

    Bit by bit, I'm still getting some of those old tapes recorded onto my computer. The quality isn't the greatest, but yet it's better than hauling around a bag of cassettes!

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  3. Yep! I currently have 3 tape cases that are full of various music as well. Legalistic binge, huh?! I did that too, years ago. The phrase you use describes it perfectly. I remember the look on Heather's face because she just didn't understand why mommy was getting rid of all this music we enjoyed so much. No more throwing music away for me either.

    Times really have changed, haven't they? And pretty drastically too, in ways. The only way I really listen to music anymore is with my computer.

    Good idea you have there, with recording your cassettes onto your computer. **Insert shameless plug here, haha!** I subscribe to Rhapsody online. Are you familiar with that? There are some things they don't have but overall, I really like it because they have so many different avenues for listening. :o)

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