Thursday, July 17, 2008

When you get what you want, but not what you need

I love this version of Coldplay’s Fix You. Of course the concert is filled with screaming passionate Canadians and no, that's not an oxymoron.

 

 

 

When you try your best, but you don't succeed

When you get what you want, but not what you need

When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep

Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face

When you lose something you can't replace

When you love someone, but it goes to waste

Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones

And I will try to fix you

 

When you get what you want, but not what you need...

That line has been haunting around in my head the last 24 hours.

When you get what you want, but not what you need...

Isn't that what so much of our pain is from? We don't have, so we fight and kill and push and destroy to gain what we want, and in the end, it wasn't what we needed anyway.

When you get what you want, but not what you need...

It's like a huge admission of personal failure when we face ourselves or our fathers or our mothers, or our God and say I don't know what I want, but you know what I need. Can I have some of what I need, please?

When you get what you want, but not what you need.

I've been around the sun enough times to know that I know what I want, and to know that that's not what I need. Still it doesn't stop me from wanting.

But at least I have learned that I would far rather get what I need, than what I want.

When you get what you want, but not what you need.

But still, even at age 44, it's hard to face myself, or my wife or my God and say I lay down what I want. Can you give me what I need, please?

Yet somewhere in that admission of personal limitation there is room for mercy and grace to push through. And the Light will guide and ignite you. And you will find what you always needed.

And wanted.

 

 

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2 comments:

  1. Thanks for that post, Randall. I needed to hear that. Good luck in Chicago!

    ReplyDelete
  2. i think that is so right we always fight until we get what we want in the ednd we find that it doesnot statify our needs and also we pay for it

    ReplyDelete



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