Wanna Be Loved (2024), Red Clay Strays
Red Clay Strays hail from Mobile, Alabama. “Red Clay” refers to their roots in the red clay of Alabama, and “Strays” represents the diversity of backgrounds from which the members came together. By identifying as strays, they perhaps acknowledge that they are strangers and aliens in this world (1 Pet 2:11). This is both an admission of their desire for community—most likely to be found with other strays—and their recognition that something or someone has brought them together. When I was introduced to this band I fell in love with them immediately. The lyrics are simple yet profound, and the music complements them well.
Humans were designed for relationships with one another. In Genesis 2, after God created the man, he declared, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (18). So God created another human, a woman, to complement him. The implication seems clear: We were created for relationship not just with God but also with other humans. Thus, the great commandment, the summary of the Law of God, instructs us to love God and love others (Matt 22:34–40).
The lyrics, “They say faith can move a mountain, but I’m built for the climb” (cf. Matt 17:20), view faith as a process. For some people, faith comes more easily than for others. Some struggle with the faith. The song honestly expresses the singer’s struggle to believe.
The lyrics also express the fear of being alone: “sometimes I need someone to pick up the phone.” The apostle John encourages us to realize that only love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). The longing for love is a longing for God, because God is love. Just hearing an encouraging word on the phone or in a text can be an antidote to fear.
One implication of this desire to be loved is that we need to be in relationship with others; we need to love them. But the converse is every bit as important—we need to be loved. Love cannot be given or received from a distance. We experience the love of God for us when we love and are loved by other humans. Whether we recognize it or not, all of us wanna be loved.
Questions:
- Read Genesis 2 and try to imagine the growing longing the first man experienced as he came to understand his loneliness. Do you think this might have been one of the reasons for the time gap between the creation of the man and the woman in this narrative, so that he could realize his need?
- How have your experienced this longing for human companionship in your life?
- How does the music of this song enhance the content of the lyrics?
- Read through Matthew 26:31–46. Do you think Jesus experienced loneliness in this story? As the God-man, did he find loneliness a common for him in his life on earth?
- How can we deal with loneliness in a healthy way? How we encourage others in their walk of faith?
For more devotionals in this series, click here.
About the Contributors
Glenn R. Kreider
Prior to teaching at DTS, Dr. Kreider served as Director of Christian Education and then as pastor in Cedar Hill, TX. His research and writing interests include theological method, theology and popular culture, and our eschatological hope. Dr. Kreider believes that grace really is amazing; it is a thought that will change the world. He is married to his best friend, Janice, and they have two grown children and one granddaughter. He and Janice enjoy live music, good stories, bold coffee, and spending time together and with their three dogs—two rescues, Chloe (a terrier/greyhound mix) and Carlile (a black lab), and one gifted, Faithful (a Bernedoodle therapy dog).
Contributors
