What Pink got right, what culture gets wrong, and what Jesus came to redeem

It is interesting how inspiration for a post can strike from seemingly anywhere. Sometimes it is a verse, sometimes it is a headline, and sometimes it is a pop song from Pink.

In her song “Try,” Pink sings,
“Where there is desire, there is gonna be a flame,
Where there is a flame, someone’s bound to get burned,
Funny how the heart can be deceiving,
Why do we fall in love so easy, even when it’s not right?”

She is describing something Scripture addressed long before modern culture existed. The human heart, when guided by its own desires, often leads us toward lust, longing, and confusion rather than true love. What the world calls “love” is often nothing more than emotional intensity and unmet needs dressed up as something profound.

The World’s Version of Love

Culture tells us to follow our hearts. Scripture says the opposite.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it”
Jeremiah 17:9

This is the very tension Pink is singing about. What feels like love can easily be adrenaline, loneliness, or physical desire. We confuse emotional rush for spiritual truth, and relationships begin with sparks but eventually leave people feeling burned.

What Scripture Says Love Actually Is

Love is not spontaneous combustion.
Love is not an overwhelming emotion that takes over.
Love is not desire that flares up and fades away.

Love is a choice.
Love is a commitment.
Love is a covenant.

True love looks like Christ.

“Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”
John 15:13

Advent reminds us of this kind of love. Jesus came not to be carried by His feelings but to fulfill the will of His Father. His love is steady, sacrificial, and rooted in truth, not impulse.

Advent as a Time to Guard the Heart

During Advent the world encourages us to feel our way through the season. Scripture encourages us to guard our hearts carefully.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”
Proverbs 4:23

Guard your heart from counterfeit versions of love.
Guard your mind from seductive distortions of truth.
Guard your spirit from emotions that promise fulfillment but lead to emptiness.

We guard our hearts not through willpower but through dependence on Christ, who came because we cannot guide ourselves rightly without Him.

Advent Hope and the Straight Path

When emotions feel confusing and culture feels loud, Advent invites us to slow down and remember the source of true direction.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths”
Proverbs 3:5 to 6

The world says love is whatever you feel.
Jesus says love is whatever draws you closer to Him.

The world says your heart will guide you.
Jesus says your heart must be guided by truth.

The world says desire is destiny.
Jesus says desire must be surrendered.

Final Reflection

This Advent season, as lights glow and the world chases emotional highs, we can pause and remember that love built on desire alone eventually leaves smoke and ash. Love rooted in Christ produces peace, clarity, and a path that does not waver.

Pink was right that desire can burn us. Jesus came so that our hearts could finally find rest and redemption.