COUNTING BLUE CARS

Must of been mid afternoon
I could tell by how far the child’s shadow stretched out and
He walked with a purpose
In his sneakers, down the street
He had, many questions
Like children often do
He said,
Tell me all your thoughts on God?
Tell me am I very far?
Must of been late afternoon
On our way the sun broke free of the clouds
We count only blue cars
Skip the cracks, in the street
And ask many questions
Like children often do
We said,
Tell me all your thoughts on God?
‘Cause I would really like to meet her.
And ask her why we’re who we are.
Tell me all your thoughts on God,
Cause I am on my way to see her.
So tell me am I very far -
Am I very far now?
It’s getting cold, picked up the pace
How our shoes make hard noises in this place
Our clothes are stained
We pass many, cross eyed people
And ask many questions
Like children often do
Tell me all your thoughts on God?
‘Cause I would really like to meet her.
And ask her why we’re who we are.
Tell me all your thoughts on God?
‘Cause I am on my way to see her.
So tell me am I very far?
Am I very far now?
Am I very far now?
Am I very far now?

This song was Dishwalla’s first hit. The opening verse shows how all people have a  purpose. Everyone is born with the knowledge of God. We try to understand what our purpose is and who He is. However, in that quest for knowledge, some get confused by the subjective philosophies of men. I think this song was written to be provocative and to make people think. The questions about God come up in the first chorus. When the second chorus comes around, we see the word HER and it grabs our attention. I remember the first time I heard this song,  I thought to myself did he just say HER?  LoL. Notice the reference in the third verse to our sinful nature, “Our clothes are stained..” And we’re asking questions from people who don’t see straight, ”We pass many, cross eyed people and ask many questions.” This is a well crafted song with catchy emotional melodies.  

So, does God have gender? Well, God is spirit. Can a spirit have a penis? No. But if we follow through with that logic, when God became flesh he became a man, not a woman. There is more to femanine or masculine personhood than what we see in the physical realm. When I die and my soul is with the Lord, I am still Michael. I can be referred to as he, even though I am a soul waiting to be joined with my physical body in the resurrection. 

If a woman thinks she is a man, she can get a sex change. But will swapping her vagina out for a penis and getting a breast reduction make her a man? She may appear to be, but the very essence of her personhood goes beyond the physical realm. She is still a she even though she appears to be a he. 

In Isaiah 49:14-15, 66:9 and 66:13 God is called a mother and a midwife.  In Hosea 13:8 Israel is likened to that of a mother bear robbed of her cubs. These are personifications that reveal God to us in a way that we can understand. These images of God are not to be taken in a wooden-literal sense.

After high school I went to college and majored in music. In high school I was a big fish in a small pond. In college I became small fish in a large ocean. I was humbled.  Classmates would encourage me by saying, ”you’re A MOTHER on the drums.”  What did they mean by that? They didn’t mean that I was a woman who gave birth to children. It was their way of saying, ”You’re awesome on the drums.”     

In Genesis 1:27 the Bible tells us that God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them. God transcends gender, but the bible does use masculine titles for God. People have argued, “that’s because the bible was written by men.”  The truth is that the bible is God-breathed and men were the translators.      

Sources: NKJ Bible by God, Bible Answer Book 2 by Hank Hanegraaff, Counting Blue Cars by Dishwalla.