Somebody To Love

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If I ask you who wrote these profound spiritual words, would you know? “Lord what are you doing to me? I go down on my knees until the tears run down from my eyes. I just got to get out of this prison cell. I need somebody to love.” The individual who wrote these words might surprise you. Discover what these words have to do with you in today’s message.

Did you guess Freddie Mercury? If you did you are correct. Even a troubled and tortured soul can teach us an important life lesson. If you enjoyed music during the 70s you likely know of the rock group Queen. They had lots of hits, and their style of performance stirred up controversy. And one song gave us a good lesson.

To say that rock star and lead singer for Queen Freddie Mercury was a unique person would be a gross understatement. His short life was an enigma. To some he was a creative genius. To others a hedonist. Yet, behind his rock star image was a hidden troubled soul that deeply needed somebody to love. His life and music are an unlikely source for an important Christian message.

Freddie Mercury was a British rock singer and songwriter. His flamboyant showmanship and powerfully agile vocals, with the band Queen, made him one of rock’s most dynamic front men. Some have described him as the best virtuoso rock ‘n’ roll singer of all time, capable of singing anything in any style.

Freddie was complex. He was born in Zanzibar as Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946. He died in London as Freddie Mercury in 1991 at the young age of 45 from complications from AIDS.  He was raised in the Zoroastrianism religion, which is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions. He once claimed to be bisexual, but likely he was a gay man who hid behind his relationships with members of the opposite sex in order to survive and build his singing career.

In many respects Freddie’s life was the antithesis to an ideal Christian life or the life of someone who seeks to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Yet, as unique as Freddie Mercury was, each of us may have more in common with him than we care to admit. And, yes, I do think we can learn an important Christian lesson from his life and especially from one of his songs. Allow me to explain.

The hit song, “Somebody to Love” debuted in 1976.  Freddie not only wrote the song, but he was also the lead singer and pianist. It became one of Queen’s greatest hits. The lyrics for this song, not only describe a conflict in Freddie’s life, but they also describe the conflict in all of our lives.

One stanza contains these lyrics:

“Take a look at yourself in the mirror and cry

Take a look in the mirror and cry

Lord, what you’re doing to me?”

Later in the song are these lyrics:

“I go down (down) on my knees (knees)

And I start to pray

‘Til the tears run down from my eyes”

And still later we find these lyrics:

“I’m OK, I’m alright

I just gotta get out of this prison cell”

And throughout the song the powerful refrain states:

“Can anybody find me

Somebody to love?”

Written by: Freddie Mercury  Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC 

Our Christian faith reveals to us that love is an essential aspect of human existence. It is deeply rooted in the nature of God. Love is not merely a feeling or a fleeting experience, it is a profound and transformative force that reflects God’s own nature. We all need to be loved, and we need somebody to love.

Love is one of life’s greatest treasures. We are called to love God and others with our whole selves. True love is exemplified by Jesus Christ. True love is embodied in the love that exists between the Father and the Son.

God’s love for us fosters in us a need for authentic loving relationships with others. God’s divine love empowers us and transforms us. Love calls for an openness and acceptance of others. True fulfillment in life cannot be found in isolation. We need community and we need to belong to God’s family. When we seek to fill our need for love with superficial or misguided pursuits, we miss out on the deeper connection that comes from divine love and authentic relationships.

Every time we humans attempt to satisfy our need for love through various misguided means, we fail to experience true love, and we are left with an aching hole in our heart.

Love is often defined as willing the good of another. Sadly, far too often we try to satisfy our need for love in all the wrong places. We often place too much emphasis on self-love. In seeking to satisfy ourselves, we chase after the things in life that pull us away from God. This started with our ancestors in the garden and continues to this day.

If we are honest, like Freddie, we are all troubled souls. In his pursuit of love Freddie Mercury pursued many of the wrong things in life. What wrong things are we pursuing? We should take a personal inventory to assess what things we love that draw us away from God. Do we love fame, fortune, power, control, wealth, or pleasure more than we should? Do we hide our own hedonistic pursuits from others like Freddie did?

You see, Freddie was absolutely right when he wrote “Somebody to love.” Yes, we all need somebody to love. Our true fulfillment is found in loving God and in loving others as God loves us. True love is an essential need for every human being. So, today in your prayers, let God know that you NEED somebody to love!

Heavenly Father, thank you for the example of love that you give to all of us. The love that through the Holy Spirit exists between You and Your Son is the true authentic love that I need in my life. Help me to love You and help me to love others in return for Your love for me. Help me never to forget that we all need somebody to love. Amen!

 AMDG

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Brian Pusateri

Brian is a Christian author and speaker. Brian, a lifelong Catholic, felt his life was forever changed when God spoke to his heart while attending an eight day silent Christian retreat in November of 2011. Soon after that retreat Brian founded 4th Day Letters and Broken Door Ministries. With the God inspired message of mercy and unconditional love that was placed on his heart during that retreat, Brian has been impacting others all over the country and around the world with his weekly letters, his talks, and his all day Christian retreats. In June of 2014, Brian’s life was again impacted in a very dramatic way when his eyesight suddenly became permanently impaired. The initial diagnosis was Multiple Scleroses (MS) but in December of 2019 the diagnosis was corrected to MOG antibody disease, a rare neurological disease. This health challenge has only served to draw Brian closer to God and bolster the importance of this timely yet ageless message.

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