Inspiration Behind Greatest Love of All:
The song Greatest Love of All was first recorded in 1977 by George Benson. The lyrics of Greatest Love of All were co-written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed. Michael wrote this as a love song to Linda who battled breast cancer throughout her life. The lyrics were fueled by Linda’s own experiences of resilience and determination to stay alive. However, Whitney Houston’s interpretation of Greatest Love of All in 1986 steered this song in a new direction, reaching new heights as one of her top songs ever recorded.
Biblical Application:
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” 2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David,’” 2 Kings 20:1-6.
Exegesis of Greatest Love of All:
I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be
The lyrics reference the wisdom of King Solomon in Proverbs 22:6. When children learn to see the good inside of human hearts and souls, this world will become a better place. Give kids opportunities to lead, but allow time to laugh, reminding adults of how simple life was as a child.
Everybody’s searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
And so I learned to depend on me
This world is eager to find someone to follow. A trustworthy individual who you believe in. During Whitney’s life, she never found someone who fulfilled her needs. Despite being lonely, Whitney become self-reliant, turning toward rugged individualism.
I decided long ago
Never to walk in anyone’s shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I’ll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can’t take away my dignity
Whitney decided to be a leader long ago, never following. Any failure was on her, following her beliefs and convictions in life. Whatever people think about her, they can’t steal her dignity.
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all
The chorus points to a place in life where Whitney became content with who she was. Instead of beating herself up with criticism, she learned to love and forgive herself. This is Whitney’s interpretation of the greatest love of all.
I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be
This repetitive stanza points to Whitney ‘s belief that human beings should invest their time in children as they are the world’s future.
I decided long ago
Never to walk in anyone’s shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I’ll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can’t take away my dignity
Whitney has no regrets about the decisions and paths she has chosen in life.
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
Is the greatest love of all
Learning to love yourself is not easy if you come from a broken home. Perfectionists and individuals verbally abused as a child are often self-critical and have a hard time of accepting who they are. Reaching a stage in life of being content and loving who you are takes time.
And if, by chance, that special place
That you’ve been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love
This closing stanza serves as a clause, “what if you never learn to love yourself?” If your dreams in life don’t turn out as you expect, find strength in love.
Final Thoughts:
I disagree with Whitney about the greatest love of all. This love is described by the apostle Paul in Romans 5:6-8. Jesus dies for all the errors, failures and mistakes made by mankind. This love is expressed by Jesus in John 3:16-17 and reinforced by the words of 1 John 5:11-13. This is the greatest love of all.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 