Heart Like Mine

When I'm listening to the song Heart Like Mine by Miranda Lambert, I think alot of conservative Christians would be appalled with her lyrics.

Even though I hate to admit it
Sometimes I smoke cigarettes
The Christian folks say I should quit it
And I just smile and say "god bless"

Cause I heard Jesus he drank wine
And I bet we'd get along just fine
He could calm a storm and heal the blind
And I bet he'd understand a heart like mine


She flaunts her humanity, the nature that allows her to be honest about herself. That she doesn't fit in the religious dogmatic box when it comes to her feelings about Jesus Christ. She doesn't sign up to be self- righteous or holier-than-thou but accepts the grace that is given to her. She knows that Jesus would talk to her, learn about her, accept her, and loves her. It's the reason why the religious ones wanted him dead. If you don't believe he could love a girl like her, it is not understanding God's heart. He does understand a heart like hers not the heart of a Pharisee. With that love, she will be transformed and grow as a woman after God's heart.

Lambert understands that when she says
And I'll fly away from it all one day
And I'll fly, I'll fly away
But these are the days that I will remember
When my names called on a roll
He'll meet me with two long stem glasses
And make a toast to me coming home

She knows she can run into the open arms of her Father like a prodigal daughter. The song echoes the faith of Brennan Manning whose memoir, All is Grace, I just finished. He calls himself a ragamuffin who struggles with his demons while knowing how much God loves him as him. Despite the darkness he has tackled throughout his life, he allows God's grace to carry him through. It's not about being perfect but understanding that God loves us, and we can be transformed by it.

In this season of Advent as we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we will be like Miranda Lambert with our heart anticipating acceptance and grace. We will fly away to where there are no more tears and no more pain. All will be new and we can feast at the banquet table with the One who loves us and celebrate our hearts.