For the purpose of this post, secular will be used to any music that is not sacred. It is not meant to be an offensive term, or derogatory, or used in a way that insinuates that secular (mainstream) music is bad. This post is entirely about my choice and it is not meant in any way to demean the choices you have made.
Music runs in my blood. My grandfather sang in the internationally acclaimed Ambassadors of Harmony for many years of my childhood, my mother plays the piano, and I did choir in grade school and band (clarinet) throughout junior and senior high. My brother plays the trombone and trumpet fluently (if you can apply that word to instruments) as well as a little of every other instrument since he studied music education for a while.
All this is to say that music has always been special in my life. In my faith, it's probably the biggest way I communicate with God. Some people are awesome pray-ers. (Seriously, how can people pray for hours on end???) Some people are great speakers. Music is my prayer. Music is my sermon. Music is my worship.
I didn't grow up going to church. I mean, I went to Sunday School with friends, I did AWANA, and I was baptized when I was about 12 -- because my friends did the same thing. Not because it was where my heart was. It wasn't until I was in high school that I started getting serious about my faith. And when I was invited to start singing on the worship team... I can't really explain what happened, but that was probably like my "great awakening" or something. I was baptized (for real this time -- my heart was in it) when I was a senior in high school and I've never looked back.
As I began singing on the praise team I began learning a lot of new songs. These were songs that I had never hear before or been exposed to. And in the days of Napster and Limewire, I was able to find just about any song I was looking for. I discovered artists like Nicole C. Mullen, Third Day, and Switchfoot. As time went on, I fell in love with the easy worship melodies of Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman. And I realized how one simple chorus can be full of God's presence.
When J and I started dating, I was introduced to a lot more artists and together, we just kind of slipped into the decision that Christian music was the only music we wanted to listen to. Honestly, there wasn't a cognizant moment where we decided not to listen to the mainstream secular stations anymore. I just know that shortly after we started dating, I stopped listening to and even enjoying most secular artists.
Why? Mostly because of content, I guess. There is a lot of lyrics that focus on sex. Or materialism. Or just... things that I don't want to focus on. Paul says to focus on that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable (Phil 4:8). We're also told to make a joyful noise unto the Lord (Ps 100:1, and many other places). Because music is how I communicate with God, I want to stick to the guideline set forth in Eph 4:29 (Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful... NLT) and listen only to positive, music. A lot of times my quiet time with the Lord comes when I'm listening to Spotify in the shower or JoyFM in the car. The moments when I feel His presence the most and feel most in tune with him.
Now, this is my decision. I know a lot of people who enjoy Christian music and secular music. I also know a lot of Christians who don't like Christian music because a lot of the lyrics seem shallow. And the idea of a Christian music industry turns them off. Trust me -- in my time working at Family Christian I discovered a fair share of artists and bands whose music did nothing for me. Just because you sing of His name does not make you a good artist, after all.
But more often than not I find songs I love, songs that move me, songs that get stuck in my head for. days. because God is speaking to me through them. Those are the songs I LOVE. I also love that I'll have a song mean something to me one get-stuck-in-my-head cycle and something completely different the next.
And so I wrap up this longer than I planned post explaining myself with some of the songs that have been speaking to me recently. I hope that they will speak to you as well.
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