What is your listening preference?

~ A reflection by Samantha

Doesn't it disturb you that our secular songs have so much "meaning"... Yes they do - but they are either angry, lusty, or depressive lyrics. And we call those good stuff... but did you know listening to negative music tends to reinforce the hard negative thoughts and actions within us?

I used to listen to stuff like that but dropped that after a 2 year struggle during my teens. It sounds funny, like giving up something so "normal" and even having to "struggle" with it...

But it's true. Why? Because a dear friend of mine once observed that I would listen to angry songs when I'm angry and nice churchy songs when I'm happy. I was already in youth ministry then. But my heart was still "with the world". Why the discrepancy? she asked me? Did I really put my faith in God during the hard times, or were these songs a way to escape into my anger or depression?

After 2 years of denial, I finally told  myself one day, by God's grace, that those music was not doing any good for me. I was getting more rebellious, more angry, and more happy being angry (get it?) because the music was cool and "angrily" cool.

So I stopped. By end of JC I stopped it totally. Gave up and got rid of all my CDs. Physically. Yes. So i would not listen to it any longer. Yes crazy, but my inner conversion (i went for the Youth in the Spirit Seminar in 1999) - made me feel so passionate for GOD that these secular music were no more than distractions to me getting to know God better.
And i've not looked back since.

So, why the extremism? Not really. It's ok to just listen. But basically, what most of us tend to do, is listen to those songs when we are feeling down, angry, etc. That is when we are emotionally "vulnerable". Think of it... God tells us to "Come to Him" when we are weary and burdened and he will give us Rest. But instead, we go listen to singers out there who don't know better, don't know God, or don't want us to know God.

It makes full sense that when we pray we "cannot hear God".... not surprising, because everytime God wants us to "be still" and listen to Him, we plug our ears with all the music and walk off in the opposite direction!

I quote a band which I DID listen to last time and totally enjoyed their music:
"First of all we want to thank Satan!" (Red Hot Chili Peppers, receiving an award at MTV awards in 1992)

Yup, that's what they said. Not that I hate them. I really liked their music... but unfortunately, they are not really leading me to God.

And unfortunately, these are the people we are listening to... Sometimes we kid ourselves that we just like the music for its spectacular drum beat or guitar riffs and nothing more than that. BUT if you were a musician yourself, you'd know that the music (even without words) also convey a message. A message of HOPE? VERSUS a message of DESPAIR....

So... I pray that we learn to listen to good things. Jesus said:

(Matthew 11:28) "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

So... What's your music listening preference?
Do you listen to music when you are vulnerable and subscribe to those messages that you hear in the songs? Agree with them? e.g. anger, lust, depression and so forth?

Did you know that sometimes, when you are down, there could be something else to do - which is to listen to God? You'll find him in the still and quiet.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."



Be Still & Know (by Steven Curtis Chapman):

Luv
Sam