Still Waters: Flawless
At the beginning of the music video, nothing is white except the lead singer’s teeth as he begins to sing the words:
“There’s got to be more
Than going back and forth
From doing right to doing wrong …”
The singer and his band mates are draped and dripping in paint. Everything from their hair to their shoes, even their instruments, is covered. The wall behind them is splattered.
“‘Cause we were taught that’s who we are
Come on get in line right behind me
You along with everybody
Thinking there’s worth in what you do …”
The paint begins to drip away.
“Then like a hero who takes the stage when
We’re on the edge of our seats saying it’s too late
Well let me introduce you to amazing grace.”
As the singer begins the chorus, images appear … a lady with only a portion of an arm. Words appear beside her pointing out her inherent flaw.
“No matter the bumps
No matter the bruises
No matter the scars
Still the truth is …”
More images … and words … “diagnosed with autism” … “battling Stage 4 cancer” … “lives with Type 1 diabetes” …
“The cross has made
The cross has made you flawless …”
Along with those with physical illnesses are those with emotional scars.
Each band member takes his place among those featured in the video, his flaws spelled out … selfishness, doubts, struggles with being the spiritual leader of his family, haunted by his past, puts work over family too often …
“No matter the hurt
Or how deep the wound is
No matter the pain
Still the truth is
The cross has made
The cross has made you flawless …”
More images … and words … “born with Down Syndrome” … “lost her hair at age 11 due to alopecia areata” …
“Could it possibly be
That we simply can’t believe
That this unconditional
Kind of love would be enough
To take a filthy wretch like this
And wrap him up in righteousness
But that’s exactly what He did …”
More paint drips away. The splattered walls behind the band begin to clear.
“Take a breath smile and say
Right here right now I’m ok
Because the cross was enough …”
The singer repeats the refrain as he stands before the camera in pure white again.
“Then like a hero who takes the stage when
We’re on the edge of our seats saying it’s too late
Well let me introduce you to amazing grace, God’s grace.”
The same people are shown again, but this time as the chorus begins, the words that described their flaws vanish away … “born with only a part of her right arm” … and in their place is one word — “flawless.”
“No matter the bumps
No matter the bruises …”
Over and over, with each new image, the words describing the defects and flaws disappear, and that one word replaces them — “flawless.”
“No matter the scars
Still the truth is
The cross has made
The cross has made you flawless.”
Each person smiles as his or her blemishes, illnesses and faults, although still a part of them, no longer define them. They may be someone with an illness, but in the cross, and because of the cross, they are flawless.
“No matter what they say
Or what you think you are
The day you called His name
He made you flawless
He made you flawless …”
Underneath the video on the internet are posts from folks who could relate … “I struggle with getting along with my parents” … “I struggle with depression” … “I deal with bullying everyday at school” … “I have been abused by someone who was supposed to love me” … “I’m a victim of sexual abuse” … “I have cerebral palsy” … “in a wheel chair” … “born with NF1, Neurofibromatosis” …
Almost as powerful as the song itself are these people’s words, full of brokenness and pain.
But just as the band MercyMe brings out the hope from our flawed conditions, each of these people shares how even though they suffer, they believe …
“I’m FLAWLESS because Jesus died on the cross for me.”
That’s the message of Easter — Jesus died on the cross for each of us.
“The cross has made,
The cross has made you flawless.”