Wouldn’t it be strange?

About a year and a half ago, I quoted a song that means a great deal to me.  It comes to my mind more often than I feel comfortable with.  The post where I first mentioned it can be found here.

Excuse alert: Being in the midst of writing a novel (more on that topic in a later post), I’ve not been as diligent at these posts as I should be.  Rather than postpone the next post even further, I’ll do one of my lazy man’s posts here by reproducing the entire song in question.  Following that, I’ll add a few additional thoughts and challenge others to think of more.

The song is called “Wouldn’t It Be Strange”.  It poses a series of very provocative questions that shouldn’t be at all provocative for those who lay claim to the Christian faith.

Here are the complete lyrics:

I’ve got a question for your consideration
I’ll make you privy to my contemplation
Let me say in my defense
I know it goes against all common sense

It’s not our nature
Not what we’ve been taught
Flies in the face of every lie we’ve bought
It’s hard to see it
Harder to explain
I know it cuts against the grain.

Wouldn’t it be strange if riches made you poor
And everything you owned left you wanting more?
Wouldn’t it be strange to question what it’s for?
Wouldn’t it be strange?

I know we’ve got some interest to protect
A set of dots we’re committed to connect
It makes us nervous in light of how it’s been
To play a little game of pretend

Wouldn’t it be strange if power made you weak
And victory came to those who turned the other cheek?
Wouldn’t it be strange to welcome your defeat?
Wouldn’t it be strange?

Wouldn’t it be strange to find out in the end
The first will be the last and all the losers win?
Wouldn’t it be strange if Jesus came again?
Wouldn’t it be strange?

None of these “strange things” should be anything but commonplace in God’s economy, yet they are all as uncommon as common sense.  What other such “strange” concepts are there?  Here are a few I can think of:

Wouldn’t it be strange if we denied ourselves?
Wouldn’t it be strange if we loved our enemies?
Wouldn’t it be strange if we considered others better than ourselves?
Wouldn’t it be strange if we sought God’s kingdom before anything else?
Wouldn’t it be strange if we didn’t worry about what we eat, drink, or wear?
Wouldn’t it be strange if we hungered and thirsted for righteousness?
Wouldn’t it be strange if we were thankful in all circumstances?
Wouldn’t it be strange if we weren’t anxious about anything?
Wouldn’t it be strange if we didn’t judge others?

All these are direct admonitions from either Jesus or one of his apostles.

If anyone is reading out there, can you think of some more strange things that shouldn’t be strange at all?

(The song is by a guy I’ve mentioned a couple times before: Charlie Peacock.  Awesome musician, writer of song and prose, wonderful Christian artist and encourager of artists.  I commend him to your attention.)