The Truth According to Katy Perry

“Do you ever feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind wanting to start again?

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin like a house of cards one blow from caving in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep, six feet under screams, no one seems to hear a thing?”

These are powerful questions Katy Perry introduces in her latest hit, “Fireworks.” I was shopping the other day, and it seemed like every time I got back into my car, this song was either just coming on the radio or just finishing. And it’s no wonder. It’s highly relatable, especially to us women.

What woman hasn’t felt at one time or another like she was drifting through life? Like somewhere along the lines she made one bad choice that has haunted her every day since? What woman doesn’t have something she regrets doing, saying…being?

What woman out there hasn’t felt like she’s had to hold it together when she was about to crumble?

What woman hasn’t been overwhelmed with her responsibilities, her impossible problems, or unfulfilled dreams?

Yes. Katy Perry struck a chord with all of us women, but, unfortunately, her solution to our problem leaves us wanting.

Katy Perry’s truth says,

“Hey, you’re a firework! Show them what you’re worth! It’s all in you. You have the power in yourself to change your situation, your problems, your consequences, yourself.”

Jesus Christ’s Truth says,

You can’t do anything apart from Me, let alone change your situations, your problems, your consequences, or yourself (Jn. 15:5; Jer. 29:4-11; Gal. 5:16-17).
You can’t save yourself apart from Me. (Rom. 8:3)
You can’t grow spiritually apart from me. (Phil. 1:6)

Katy Perry’s truth says,

“Make people see you! Make them say, ‘Wow, she’s worth something!”

Jesus Christ’s Truth says,

Make people see Christ! Make them say, “Wow, Christ is near!” (Phil 4:5)
“I must decrease, Christ must increase.” (Jn. 3:30)

Katy Perry’s truth says,

“You’ve just got to ignite the light that is inside you.”

Jesus Christ’s Truth says,

“Let your light so shine before men that they may glorify your Father who is in Heaven.” (Mt. 5:16)

No, Katy Perry, unfortunately, has it very wrong. And for all the women who find themselves relating to her, it can be very tempting to heed her advice, pick themselves up by their strappy sandals, roll up their sleeves in Rosie the Riveter fashion say, “We can do this!”

However…we, most assuredly, cannot “do this,” not on our own anyways. Not without God. But where does that leave the woman drifting like a plastic bag through life? Where does it take the woman buried by life and its problems? What does the woman do who feels like a wasted space? Where does she go when Katy Perry’s truth fizzles?

1. She goes to God.

Psalm 34: 4-5 says, “I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”

Psalm 69:32 says, “When the humble see it they will be glad; you, who seek God, let your hearts revive for the LORD hears the needy.”

Life can be hard, that is true. But a woman who follows after God is never forsaken, no matter what is going on in her life. The key though is… following after God. When we find ourselves relating to Katy Perry’s gospel we must ask ourselves, “Am I following after God right now? Am I in pursuit of Him? Or am I trying to be my own light, my own way, my own savior?”

2. She goes to His Word.

Nourishment is vital to our existence. A woman who doesn’t eat becomes weak and unable to do much of anything. We know this every time we diet. Yet this truth seeps its way into our spiritual wellbeing also. Without feeding on the Word, a woman becomes weak, distracted by the world around her, and unable to do much of anything in life.

Psalm 81:16 “But [God] would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock [He] would satisfy you.”

Job 23:12 “I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.”

John 6:57 “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.”

Psalm 34:8 “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

3. She has faith.

Maybe you’re reading this and thinking, “Yeah, sure, God is great! But ‘Go to God’ is just a Sunday-school answer that doesn’t really help my life.” And I would say, “You’re right.” It’s not enough simply to know these things. For even the demons believe in God and tremble. (James 2:19) This is where faith comes into play.

Job (Job 15:31) and Hosea (Hosea 10:13) both warn against trusting in the wrong things and what it brings about. Job says, “Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his payment.”

Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to draw near to God. But when you trust in God and His Word, there is peace (Isa. 26:3). But you must have faith!

It’s not surprising that Ms. Perry got this wrong. What is sad though is how empty her solution is to the very real emotions women feel. She tells them “there’s a chance for you” and “after the hurricane, there’s a rainbow.” And while there is definitely hope for change, it is only with Christ. In the end, Katy Perry’s truth was a firework that fizzled. But Christ’s Truth remains:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” – John 3:16-17