"Bro, you have to break up with her. Otherwise, you're just leading her on."
I spent nearly a decade working with college students as the leader of a campus ministry and then a church-based college ministry. During that time, I counseled many students who were navigating romantic challenges.
On numerous occasions, I encouraged young men to be straightforward with the women they knew. For instance, if you like a girl, ask her out. If you are ready to move on from a relationship, be decisive and break up, as that opening phrase indicated. A phrase I often heard was, "Well, I don't want to lead her on."
The idea behind this phrase was that if you acted as if the relationship had a future in your mind but knew it didn't, you were being deceptive and misleading. No one wants to be deceived or misled. A break-up is painful but hurts less than being betrayed and fooled.
This experience came to mind when I heard @Chandler Moore's new single, "Lead Me On." While my experience with the phrase "lead her (or him) on" was entirely negative, there's one big difference between that experience and Moore's song. I was trying to help hormonal, impulsive, and often immature college students act compassionately and unselfishly. In Moore's song, he sings about entrusting himself to a God who always acts compassionately, serves us selflessly, and defines what true maturity means.
RELATED CONTENT: Chandler Moore Crafts Song of Surrender on ‘Lead Me On’
Near the end of the song, Moore sings,
"But You can trust Him; just let Him lead you on
I didn't know where else to go
I tried so many other options
But I'm left with Him, really walking by faith now."
This mindset forms the crux of this song: You can allow God to lead you on because He's trustworthy. While this is the core message of the song, Moore travels a winding road to reach this conclusion. In an interview with CHRI Radio, Moore shared more of the story behind the music.
"There's a new single called Lead Me On. It's a story basically you're hearing a conversation between me and God, and when God leads, you know, there's a season where it's like he taps you on the shoulder, and it's like alright, it's time to move on to this next thing. And the Garden of Gethsemane moment that we often have where it's like, I really would like to go this right, but not my will, your will be done. So Lead Me is a journey through that. And then ending in the realization - if He gives the command, He's going to give the provision for whatever he says. So, Lead Me On is the first single, and that is just my life story right now."
Moore described the song as a journey in that interview. This description is fascinating because the second half of the song references the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15. Moore sings about his homecoming moment.
"I see my father
I see my friends
I'm home, I'm home
My Dad was waiting on the porch for me."
The story of the younger son who runs away, only to return later ashamed, is a journey from rejection to trust, from squandering to surrendering. In the same way, Moore ultimately sings "Lead Me On" after a season of wanting to lead his own life rather than be led by God in the life he's been called and created to live.
As a pastor, I often hear people misunderstand the concept of surrender. Some people see surrender as a weakness, so they avoid it. Some people romanticize surrender, so they idolize it. But, when you've experienced true surrender after a long journey of fighting, you see that it's brutal and beautiful. Surrender is an acknowledgment of trust and respect in God, often at the end of a long struggle.
In addition to multiple references to Luke 15, Moore sings lyrics that drip with Scripture snippets. From 2 Corinthians 5:7's call to "walk by faith and not by sight" to Jeremiah 18's image of the potter and clay, Moore highlights the Bible's consistent reminder that a surrendered life honors God.
As Moore described in his radio interview, following Jesus is a journey. Yours might have you struggling to trust God and surrender to His leadership in your life today. But listen to "Lead Me On" today and know He will not betray, fool, or mislead you. When you invite Jesus to lead you on, you won't look back one day and feel like you were taken advantage of by another, like the victim of some immature romance.
To follow Jesus is to be led by Someone who wants what's best for you and is more committed to your good than you are. It's a beautiful thing!
Scott Savage is a pastor, author, and speaker with the best last name in the world. Scott’s writing helps people transform difficult circumstances into places where they can thrive. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona, and loves watching movies with his wife and three kids. You can begin Scott’s newest project, The 21 Day Gratitude Challenge, today.
