There are days that I think nearly every Goo Goo Dolls song could be about God…at least most of their more recent songs. It wasn’t until this song popped back into my head the other day that I realized its true beauty.
Rock or Knock: Rock.
Song: Let Love In
Artist: Goo Goo Dolls
Lyrics:
You wait, wanting this world
To let you in
And you stand there
A frozen light
In dark and empty streets
You smile hiding behind
A God-given face
But I know you’re so much more
Everything they ignore
Is all that I need to see
(chorus)
You’re the only one I ever believed in
The answer that could never be found
The moment you decided to let love in
Now I’m banging on the door of an angel
The end of fear is where we begin
The moment we decided to let love in
I wish
Wishing for you to find your way
And I’ll hold on for all you need
That’s all we need to say
I’ll take my chances while
You take your time with
This game you play
But I can’t control your soul
You need to let me know
You leaving or you gonna stay
(chorus)
There’s nothing we can do about
The things we have to do without
The only way to feel again
Is let love in (2x)
(chorus)
I love the Goo Goo Dolls. Period. I hear this song and it is so perfectly true, the only way to feel again is to let love in. But not just any love, mind you, to let Love Himself in. The only way to feel anything again – pain, joy, agony, peace – is to let Him in. Scary? You bet. But I’d rather feel something than nothing, and I’d rather let Him in all the way, trusting that He will heal the pain instead of keeping Him at bay.
The first verse is fantastic, and it is one of those verses that I can clearly imagine God singing to me. We wait, we want the world to let us in, we want to be accepted, noticed, loved, pursued, cherished and appreciated. We stand there in a frozen light, we stand in dark and empty streets, we stand where ever we are and we hide. We get really good at hiding, at making everything look like it is okay just so someone will notice us because we are put together, not because we are falling apart. We hide behind the face He gave us, but He knows we are so much more, He knows our broken-ness, He knows exactly what we hide behind the face He gave us. The beautiful truth about His love rings out when the Goo Goo Dolls sing, “Everything they ignore is all I need to see.” What the world ignores, what the world disregards and tries to shove under a rug is all that He needs to see. The world says, “Put yourself together and look your best,” while God says, “I see you just as you are and you are beautiful.”
Imagine God singing the chorus to you and you alone, “You’re the only one I ever believed in, the answer that could never be found.” We are the answer that God has been looking for. He has a very specific purpose for each and every one of us, an answer that can’t be found in anyone else. We are the one He believes in. God believes in YOU. Everything changes the moment you decide to let Love in. Now He’s banging on the door of an angel – your door – and He is telling you that the end of fear is where we begin. Remember Saint John writing, “perfect love casts out fear”? The end of fear is where Love begins. Make this moment that moment, the moment you decide to let Love in, all the way, into the depths and darkest, scariest places in your heart and soul.
Oh, this second verse. How perfectly it fits with my harlot heart. God, as He sits in all His majesty tells me and us, “I wish, wishing for you to find your way. And I’ll hold on for all you need, that’s all we need to say. So I’ll take my chances while you take your time with this game you play.” How He longs for us to find our way and find it in Him. He’ll hold on because He is all we need. I don’t really know that God takes chances but I know He holds on while I take my time with this game I play of trying to find love and satisfaction anywhere but within His arms.
The chorus can also be our song to Him, and I hope it is. May He be the only one we’ve ever truly believed in, He is the answer that could never be found and may we find Him the moment we decide to let Love in. Bang on the doors of angels, dispel fear from your hearts and let Love in. There is truly nothing we can do about the things we have to do without, the only way to feel again is to let Love in, in this moment and every moment after it.
What I’m Listening To:
“Let Love In” by the Goo Goo Dolls
“Unwavering” by Matt Maher
“Become” by the Goo Goo Dolls
“Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls