I just read this quote and while the source is not generally a source of Godly wisdom, the message is so clear and concise, and so consistent with Jesus’ life and message that I found it to be powerful and memorable.  Are we willing to be hated as Jesus told us we would be in this world, or do we place a priority on pleasing people?

“I’d rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not.”- Kurt Cobain

The intelligence and honesty in this quote is amazing.  Intelligence and honesty without Christ still leaves men empty.  Two examples from music are Kurt Cobain recognizing the emptiness of fame, and the lyrics of a Pink Floyd album - Dark Side of the Moon.  A work of deep lyrical art and music expresses the desperate state of men, but without the message of Christ, still leaves us empty and hopeless.

Thankfully the gospel is simple enough for a child to understand, believe and receive.  Receiving Christ as Lord and Savior like a child is the most intelligent and purposeful way to live.

Mathew 18:3
3And he [Jesus] said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Romans 10:8-10
8But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Ephesians 2:8-10
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

You’re right—an unusual source, but a great quote.  Sometimes we find something that drives a point home in the most unlikely places.

You know, what I find most sad about quotes like this, and even more so in Pink Floyd lyrics, is the fact that some individuals who are so lost see so clearly a message that Jesus tried to drive home but that the church misses.

PF’s lyrics resonate with a conviction that the things society treasures and strives for - wealth, success, social popularity/acceptance… those things are empty, hollow, and devoid of meaning.  Jesus preached that over and over and over… yet the western model of church and the fundamental beleif structure about how a “Christian” should act and appear, and what we should strive for are the very things that PF saw the emptiness of.  I believe the first step toward true transformation is realizing that what is on earth is empty, temporary, and not our purpose.  What they missed is that they did not see where true meaning lies and slid into despair.  But if we in the church don’t fully beleive that what is in this world is empty and devoid of any real treasure, then we have not even made the first step forward.