The first time I really fell in love with Kelly Clarkson was when her song Since You’ve Been Gone aired back in 2005. Her rock and roll style interlaced with a sweet, feminine flair and of course, powerhouse vocals has been like a breath of fresh air from the cookie cutter vocalists the industry pumps out these days.
I usually find myself jamming out to Miss Clarkson when I need to get in touch with my girlie, teenage angst side again. I recall the days of pimples and broken hearts like they were yesterday and Clarkson’s no-nonsense lyrics remind me how much being a girl hurts, but kicks butt at the same time.
Along with awesome feminine empowered music, I’m always on the hunt for a great praise song. Most of the time I hit “play” on the “Contemporary Christian” station on Pandora and wait for the magic to begin, but every once in a while I get lucky and stumble upon a song by a non-Christian focused artist that sounds like it’s totally for praising God. Miss Clarkson’s song, “You Found Me,” which appears on her Breakaway album, is just that sort of song!
When I first heard this little number, I was just struck by it. The lyrics come across as a ballad I have sung to Jesus in my head several times before (imagining of course that I can sing and write lyrics with matching music to boot!) Though I’m sure this song is really about a woman exclaiming her joy over having been found and loved by the man whom she loves most, my mind just interprets it as a song about my joy for Jesus having found me!
Take a look at this sample of lyrics from the song and you will see what I mean.
You Found Me:
You found me when no one else was lookin’
How did you know just where I would be?
Yeah, you broke through all of my confusion
The ups and the downs and you still didn’t leave
I guess that you saw what nobody could see
You found me, you found me
I almost find these discoveries more endearing than when I relate to a song performed by a Christian singer. I think it’s God’s way of speaking to me in an unexpected way — reminding me that I can hear his voice and feel his love in the most unexpected places. Of course, obviously if I had listened to Wu Tang Clan and heard this message it would carry a bit more weight than having heard it in a Kelly Clarkson song, but still. I will take the small whispers of Christ where ever I can find them. Who knows, maybe next week he will speak to me through an N.W.A song. Now wouldn’t that be something!
I could not find a video for “You Found Me,” which stinks. However, I did find a version on YouTube that has the song playing with the lyrics running across the screen. It’s better than nothing. I hope you will take the time to watch the video and let God speak to you!
