Music Soothes Our Souls

Do you ever stop and wonder why music makes us feel the way it does? It can make us sad, silent, give us pause for reflection on the past, patriotic or joyful beyond measure. I would encourage you to think about that the next time you're happily singing along to your favorite tune. Ask yourself why is it your favorite? What emotion does it make you feel?

One of the ways I begin my mornings is to listen to praise and worship music. It provides me with about 30-45 minutes depending on how long I take to get myself ready once I am out of the shower and often times I find I already have a song on my heart when I wake up. Sometimes it's a silly song from my childhood or something I have heard repeatedly on the radio, and often times one that I hear my husband or daughter singing and then it gets stuck in my head. I call the ones that I wake up with that stay with me throughout the day, my "soul songs." I believe God puts them there as a way to get me to reflect on the meaning of the song's lyrics or the way it makes me feel. Some of my favorites are Toby Mac's Speak Life, Jamie Grace's Beautiful Day and Hold Me, and Mandisa's Stronger.

I have found that when I am struggling in my life with stress or anger that I know I need to let go off, the easiest way to get my focus off those things is to listen to music, preferably Christian music. My reason for listening to Christian music is that the lyrics often times contain scriptures from the Bible. My husband was recently struggling to memorize scripture verses from the Bible and when I gathered a handful of songs like Matthew West's Hello My Name Is.. I knew he knew the words to, I played them back to him watching to see if he would easily remember those scriptures. I took it one step further and looked them up for him and began to quiz him on those verses and surprisingly even now, he can remember them.

God's got a point in using music to speak to our heart and soul. God can work through music to heal our troubled souls much like he did for King Saul when David played for him when he was troubled by evil spirits that were tormenting him.

1 Samuel 16:23 NIV ~ "Whenever the spirit from God can upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him."

I believe the same is true for the praise and worship music that we find in church from rock bands to the old classic hymns, people are drawn like moths to a flame by the call of God to our heart and soul through music. It can get us through tough times and get us to focus on other things besides ourselves and our troubles. This is one of the reasons I love the first thirty minutes of being in church is just singing those amazing songs like 10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord), Amazing Grace, Lay Me Down and Awake My Soul. You can't focus on what you left behind at the door when you begin singing songs like that. They are designed to encourage, lift us up and change us in unremarkable ways.

This is what happened with Paul and Silas. Their surroundings wee dreary. Their circumstances were disappointing. Their prospects were discouraging. The only thing in their situation not depressing was their attitude.. Paul and Silas didn't blame God for their imprisonment; they worshiped Him in spite of it. Even though their bodies were locked up, their spirits soared free as they sang praise and worship songs to God.

And they didn't just praise for a few minutes; they praised for as long as it took. Verse 25 says they were praying and singing hymns at "about midnight" when God shook the jail cell and they were freed. They didn't stop at 10:00 p.m.; they didn't give up at 11:00 p.m.; they praised until their problem crumbled before them.

Joyce Meyers said it best in her book You Can Begin Again, "I want to encourage you to develop a life of praise. Regardless of what you are going through today, find something to praise God for . You may be on top of the world - the kids are getting good grades, you job is not feeling like "work," your spouse is helping out around the house, your health is great, and you found some great sales at the mall - well, praise God! Take time to worship God in your quiet time for all of His blessings.

Or you may feel like the world is on top of you - your kids are causing trouble, your job is stressful, your spouse is driving you crazy, you got a bad medical report, and the sale clerk overcharged you - well, praise God! Keep worshipping God for His goodness even when it feels like you are in a dark circumstance. Like Paul and Silas, find the good in every situation, and praise God with all of your heart. Your praise is the path to your victory."

Psalm 63:4 NIV ~ "I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands."

How do you use music to help get you through the day? I'd love to hear about it.

Give Me Five!

I found an interesting post when I stopped by Mari's blog, My Little Corner of the World and she was doing a post based on five words she was given. She invited us to play along if we wanted and you know me, the avid gamer, I asked her to send me my 5 words. If you too are interested, leave me a comment and your email address and I too will send you 5 random words.

1. Music. I have it on most of the time throughout my day to 88.5 which plays Christian contemporary music and occasional devotions. It helps keep God going throughout the day and keeps Him ever close to my mind. Sometimes it can completely change your day for the better as well. Some of my favorites are The Motions by Matthew West, Otherside by Mikeschair, anything by Jeremy Camp, Third Day, Never Going Back to OK by The Afters, and my all time favorite the Fray!

2. Family. This is the most important thing in my life next to my relationship to God. I've been married twice, and on the second try God bestowed His greatest blessing on me, with my best friend, soul mate, and husband, Steven. I had a daughter from my first marriage and it was the very best thing to come out of the fire. She is 16, a Junior in High School and very active in church with her faith. Her name is Caitlyn and she even has a blog if you want to stop by and check it out. It's called Teen Life. Steve and I were blessed by God to have a daughter of our own, and she is our strong willed and determined 10 year old Kailee. She never ceases to amaze me with her natural ability to pick up on anything technical. We share our 2 story home in the high desert of Southern California with three cats, Moo, Tosh and Bella.

3. Faith. It is the greatest gift God has blessed all of us with. Without it we wouldn't have hope in the things we can't see but believe in anyway. Many times we think that we must see it to believe it, but God says you have to believe it, and then you'll see it. Thankfully I know that no matter what happens to my family in this life, I know without a doubt it doesn't end there for us. I will be reunited with them once again in my eternal home in Heaven.

4. School. I have to admit I was your A typical nerd in school, the book worm and the geek all rolled up into one. For years I was the pride and joy of my parents. Then when I entered highschool things changed, people looked to me for the quick answers to last minute homework or quizzes. I hated it. I hated that people only needed me for their lack of discipline.

When I received my CAT test scores that year, they were off the chart and the school asked for a meeting with my mom. They explained, I would be bored during the next 3 years of my school and there was nothing further to teach me that I didn't already know. They asked my mom to provide me with the GED test so I could graduate early and move on to college. My mom said no. She wanted me to finish.

I felt betrayed by her and so I controlled the only thing I could and began to fail all my classes. I was sent to continuation school and before the Board of Directors but I was bound and determined to prove them all wrong. My mom in her frustration, gave me an ultimatum which was work or finish school. I chose to work. It wasn't until I was in my 30's that I took my GED and rated 98% in most of my subjects nationwide. Sometimes you just need parents to trust you.

5. Thankful. I am thankful for so many things in my life. I am thankful for my salvation in Jesus Christ so I know my life doesn't end here and He continues to work in my life at all times, even when I don't think He is. He has walked and carried me through the darkest valleys of my life and saved my mortal life on more than one occasion. I am thankful He has provided me with an amazing family, a home to live in and the finances to get us through each day. I just need to remember to give thanks to Him even when things are going badly.

Once again, if you want to participate, leave me a comment and your email and I will randomly select 5 words for you. What a great way to learn just a little bit more about each other and have fun sharing our lives with you.

The Song of the Soul

Ever wake up out of bed one morning or even every morning and have a song in your head?? I find that the closer we are to God in our daily walks, the more the songs have meaning in our life. I also notice the older I get, the more I am drawn to classical music, instrumentals and oldies as my kids call it.

Things I wouldn't even admit to listening to when I was a teenager. I think I referred to them as my parents music. No one wanted to hear "that" kind of music.

OK, I also grew up listening to records, you know the ones, with the hole in the middle made of plastic, no, dear, not CD's, much, much bigger. I would have to show them to you. Then we went from records, to 8 track tapes, remember those too???

Then we finally think we have revolutionized the world with cassette tapes. More smaller than an 8 track and more portable. Who was kidding who back then? I mean how many times did you have to retrieve your favorite cassette out from being eaten from your tape player??? I know I did, thank goodness most of them faired well enough to be played again.

Then someone invented the CD. Virtually indestructable, nothing can harm them. So everyone rushed right out and got one. Guess what??? The slightest smudge on the CD or worse yet, a scratch and it was completely worthless. The music marketing people have it made. Perhaps that is one of the ways some of this economic crisis was started, the need for something better.

However I like the songs that stick in my head. The songs that I can play my favorite parts over and over and never get tired. No scratches, no tapes to wind back in, and the best part, no money to spend.

I found that the Lord calls these "soul songs". They are songs my soul sings out throughout the day if I am quiet enough to hear them. Like right now, I am listening to "In the Hands of God". It plays over and over again. I often wonder if God uses those soul songs to speak to us. How relevant it was to me in typing this that I would be listening to that song, while I am writing this blog to you.

Sometimes God changes the station on me, like "How Great Thou Art" is the song going on now. I just smile and sometimes to the horrors of my children, yup, I sing along! OUT LOUD!!! So everyone can hear me!

Those are often the most happiest moments in my day. Lots of times, I just hum along with my daughter, who is often working along side me as she is emailing friends. Then I pause and wait. Yup, there she goes, she is humming it too!

I look up and tell her, "Got you!" She often looks bewildered because she forgets what I meant because it becomes subliminal like that sometimes. I reached out and touched her soul! It's usually followed by some eye rolling and then moments later, she is still singing it or humming it.

Gotta love God, gotta love His humor and love! Gotta love the songs He gives up to play in our heart and soul. Whatever it takes to keep our minds and thoughts on Him.

What song is playing in your soul at this very moment?? Can't wait to hear if any of you are tuned into the same station.

Psalm 57:7, "My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music." NLT