{"id":477,"date":"2014-05-09T01:45:47","date_gmt":"2014-05-09T05:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/?p=477"},"modified":"2014-05-09T01:45:47","modified_gmt":"2014-05-09T05:45:47","slug":"your-love-is-too-high-to-bring-me-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/your-love-is-too-high-to-bring-me-down\/","title":{"rendered":"“Your Love is Too High to Bring Me Down”"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: the Infinitely Merciful and Compassionate Beloved Lord<\/em><\/p>\n

Pharrell Williams’ smash hit “Happy” has set off a worldwide phenomenon, bringing Pharrell Williams himself to tears<\/a>. This phenomenon has touched the Muslim community around the world as well, staring with Muslims in Britain<\/a>, who made a video of themselves dancing and laughing to the song. Following in their lead, Muslims around the world have made similar videos, including the Gaza Strip<\/a>, Saudi Arabia<\/a>, and even in my home of Chicago<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The controversy over these videos<\/a> notwithstanding, the song itself has a fantastic message. There is one verse of the song, in particular, that is most telling to me from a spiritual perspective:<\/p>\n

Your love is too high to bring me down<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When I heard these words, I immediately thought of God’s love. Indeed, His love is most definitely “too high to bring me down.” In fact, it is too high to bring anyone down. And when we are enveloped in God’s love,\u00a0we cannot\u00a0help but be happy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His love is so soothing, so comforting, \u00a0so liberating, that it cannot help but make one happy. And that happiness is a deep-seated, warming happiness that nourishes the soul. It is a happiness that kings and princes would give up all their power and riches to get.<\/p>\n

Living in God’s love is the only way to go. I was raised to fear God. Indeed, God’s punishment is something to be feared. His wrath is something to be feared. His chastisement is something to be feared.<\/p>\n

But, as His Word says, “He has willed for Himself [the rule of] Mercy.” His Mercy overpowers His wrath, and thus – while keeping in mind His punishment – the main focus for our lives\u00a0should be\u00a0to live in His love.<\/p>\n

I mean, it was His love that gave us life in the first place. What have we done to God or for God to deserve the gift of life? We were nothing before God breathed into us of His spirit and gave us life. Was it not out of love that God gave us life? Indeed it was.<\/p>\n

And so, because God loved us first by giving us life, then our entire lives\u00a0should be\u00a0dedicated to loving God back by being faithful servants to His will. Every act of kindness we do to another creature is because we love the Creator of that creature. Every good deed we do to our fellow humanity is because we love the Creator of that human being. Every thing we do to make our world a better place is becuase we love the Creator of this world.<\/p>\n

And when we do our best to love our God back, He showers us with even more love, and grace, and mercy, and blessing. And we become happy.<\/p>\n

And so, God’s love is indeed “too high to bring me down,” and because of that great, all-enveloping love, we cannot help but feel happy. May we all live full, happy lives in the love of the Beloved Lord our God. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: the Infinitely Merciful and Compassionate Beloved Lord Pharrell Williams’ smash hit “Happy” has set off a worldwide phenomenon, bringing Pharrell Williams himself to tears. 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Hassaballa","description":"Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago doctor and writer. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, being published in newspapers across the country and around the world. He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. He is also a columnist for Patheos. His articles have been distributed worldwide by Agence Global, and he was also a guest blogger for The Chicago Tribune and has blogged on ChicagoNow\" . In addition, Dr. Hassaballa has appeared as a guest on WTTW (Channel 11) in Chicago, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and National Public Radio. Dr. Hassaballa is co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday), and his essay, \u201cWhy I Love the Ten Commandments,\u201d was published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam (Rodale). His latest book, Noble Brother, is the story of the Prophet Muhammad told entirely in poetry, and it is now published in its second edition. In 2007, his blog \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" was nominated for a Brass Crescent Award for a blog that is \u201cthe most stimulating, insightful, and philosophical, providing the best rebuttals to extremist ideology and making an impact whenever they post.\u201d \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" has also received an award for being one of the \"Top Muslim Blogs for 2010\" by Awarding The Web. In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and currently serves on their board of directors. He also co-founded the Bayan H. 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