How to Share Your Faith Using Yael Naim's New Soul
French-Israeli singer Yael Naim recently hit it big as Apple's poster girl with her tune New Soul. Featured in the latest MacBook commercial, New Soul captures both the unease of living in a world that seems strange and out of kilter as well as the spirit of possibility and promise that breaks forth when walls are knocked down and horizons expanded.
Yael Naim music video launches with a moving-in scene and communicates Naim's sense of being a stranger in a strange land. The lyrics capture her search for something more authentic than what she sees around her with the line:
"I'm a young soul in this very strange world, hoping I could learn a bit about what is true and fake."
The song communicates a sense that something's 'not quite right' and that there must be 'something more' out there.
As Christians we realize there is a spiritual sense in which there is 'something more' that all humans long for - something that helps us determine what's true and what's fake. The Bible unlocks this spiritual dimension for us when it helps us understand what a restored relationship with God through Jesus' work on the cross looks like. Living our lives in tune with God and His purposes fulfills our need for 'something more.' Colossians 1:9-14 describes it this way:
We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul - not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.
God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating (The Message).
Sin is the reason we look around at our world and conclude that things are not quite right. And Jesus is the key that unlocks a whole new world of hope and promise.
As the New Soul music video progresses, we watch Naim discovering her own bigger, more authentic reality outside the walls of her small room. She discovers how to push down the confining walls around her. As the walls collapse, a whole new, broad, beautiful horizon of possibilities opens up. What great imagery for the life of someone who has become a 'new soul' through faith in Jesus! Think of the walls of the room as representing our sin, sin which boxes us in and limits our ability to experience the richness of the relationship with God that He originally intended for His children. When we are trapped in sin, life is like a walled room, boxing us in, limiting our view of the rich, real, abundant life God offers to all. But when we trust Jesus with our hearts and lives, Jesus forgives us for our sin and knocks down the walls of the room, opening up a whole new world of freedom and grace, helping us see the spiritual dimension of life we were previously clueless about.
The imagery in the New Soul video provides some great spiritual openings, so try using it to engage your friends in spiritual conversation. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Have you ever felt like something isn't quite right with the world? That things don't seem quite right?
- Did you know that the Bible says that 'sin' is the reason that things don't seem quite right in the world? Explain that 'sin' means 'missing the mark' or falling short of God's perfect standard and that sin is the reason there are wars, famine, tragedy and conflict in our world.
- What do you think of when you see the walls of the room falling down in the music video? What do you think the walls falling down symbolize? Listen, then share how the walls are like sin, while faith in Jesus is like knocking down the walls and opening our lives up to a new, authentic world of freedom and grace.
- How do you determine what's true and what's fake? Listen, then share what you believe about Jesus being the Way, the Truth and the Life.
When you hear the words 'new soul' you can't help but think of new life in Christ. Take the opportunity to talk to your friends about how Jesus has knocked down the walls in your life and opened up a big, beautiful, spiritual world through a restored relationship with God!
