by Emily Medlock

Welcome to another edition of “Behind the Lyrics”! For what I believe is the first time, we’re going to take a look at an artist who doesn’t outwardly claim any religion: Alessia Cara. Although Cara doesn’t have “Christian” music, she does sing with Christian values, unbeknownst to many of her fans. If you take a look at songs like “Wild Things” and “Scars to Your Beautiful”, you’ll see what I’m talking about. “Wild Things” is about being an eagle, unafraid to stand up for what you believe in and go against the crowd, so dishonest about who they are. Then “Scars to Your Beautiful” is about accepting yourself the way God made you.

But today, we’re not talking about either of those. Today, we’re going with one of the only songs that actually mentions God. Here’s a breakdown of “7 Days” by Alessia Cara:

If there’s a God
Do you think He’s looking down, curled up on His couch right now?

No one has the ability to picture the Father in His true form. Because of this, we often look at Him in a relatable way. Here, Alessia sees Him as a man watching His creation via Netflix. So, let’s go along with this perspective as it can truly be a powerful one.

As we fail to figure it out, does He turn down the sound?
Is He proud? Are we proud?

As God is watching us, what is He thinking? He knows where we’re headed, and He sees our hearts. But does that stop Him from being disappointed in humanity? Or is He still proud of each and every one of us?

Guess we forgot how to live a life with no filter
Making boring people famous
Let’s pretend they’re fascinating
Let’s tell little girls that pretty girls are better

Shallow…the life that society is thrusting upon us is very shallow. Taking a step back, you’ll see what really matters to us. Who are we making famous? What ideas are we putting into kids’ heads? Are we teaching love, acceptance, kindness, and humility as God would have it? He gave us free will, a wonderful gift, but what are we doing with it?

Or that pigment or religion really matters
We’re in some trouble
Mr. Maker, don’t turn away from your screen
At least the bubble that we’ve created could make for some good TV

This is where Christians often fall short. Christians will be the first to segregate and seclude themselves. Scorning those who don’t believe the way we do. God has every right to turn His back on us due to how we treat His creation, Alessia mentions here, but He never will. So, He sits…watches…waits for us…suffering as a parent watching their child fill with hate and make poor choices in life.

Oh Mr. Man upstairs
I know you’re tuning in up there, way up there
Would you care to answer my question?
Oh, the land of our taste
The spectacle of cut and paste
That we’ve made
Would you say? Please say
It was worth the seven days

Was it worth it? Is God proud of what He has made? He knew this would happen, yet He still spent that fated week creating us. Do you think He knows that we will soon learn to live through love as He intended?

Does He hang His head at all the greed that we possess?
As the anti-social media perpetuates the mess
Maybe it’s a test, maybe He’s upset by the loose and stress
Like the rest of us, it happens to the best of us
God, or is it Mr. G to me?

I love this here. It sort of humanifies God. Although He is all-powerful, omni-present, and supernatural, it helps to be able to feel His pain as He feels ours. When someone hangs their head, it signifies something that they saw coming, but are nevertheless shamed by. I also like to note the way Cara wonders how to refer to God. This is much like a new Christian, wondering how deep their relationship with Him can go. Even though He’s our creator, is He still our greatest friend?

I hope that through the static you show what’s the clarity
‘Cause it’s hard to find the silver lining in the bittersweet
Wonder if you’re praying for us ‘fore you go to sleep
Do you sleep in peace?
‘Cause we’re in some trouble

I believe this is the vision of a human in pain, feeling the weight of God’s world on their shoulders. He rested on the seventh day, but has He rested since then? Are we infants, not allowing our Father one moment of peace?

Don’t touch the remote
It’ll be back in a moment
We are not hopeless
We are just coping
The mayhem is rolling
But it ain’t showbiz
Reality’s potent
Chaotic, I know it
But we’re growing
Have some hope in us

This ending here is begging God to not give up on us. Give us more time to live in love, peace, and harmony. Give the world more time to live as a human race. We’ve been through a lot, and the cycle of hate seems endless. But do we deserve to be forgotten, gave up on? Or can we really grow from it, and eventually mend ourselves enough to see the world the way that He does in His dreams?

Though this song may not be at the top of any Christian Billboard, I believe it has just as much to offer. As Christians, we get so comfortable with the same three sermons, the same vision of God. Seeing Him from someone else’s perspective may be exactly what we need to produce change. But we never look at anything from anyone else’s perspective but our own – do we? We are so afraid that we’ll be affected negatively or…change our mind even.

So, let’s learn to be a world that God should be proud of. That doesn’t mean preaching to every soul you meet with aggressive bitterness. It means changing the world from the inside out…starting with yourself. Is God proud of the thoughts that cross your mind or the feelings in your heart? He’ll never give up on you or leave you, but that’s not an excuse for you. It’s a chance to make Him proud that He made us those initial seven days.

Emily Medlock is a freelance writer who specializes in video games, movies, viral content, Christianity, music and YouTube video scripts. Visit her online at emilymedlock.com/blog.