How often have you heard a catchy song on the radio and started singing along – only to realize that the words you’re singing are out of step with your values?
It’s easy to forget the less-than-Christlike lyrics when the melody is just so groovy, or to say to ourselves “It isn’t that bad, God knows this isn’t what I believe.”
While that may be true, it isn’t setting you up for spiritual success.
What we listen to matters. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you.” (Mark 4: 24) What we fill the silence with inevitably becomes what we fill our minds with too.
Songs get stuck in our heads so often that it becomes almost impossible not to think about the lyrics. When we listen to uplifting music, the lyrics circling our thoughts can become a prayer. Positive music helps our minds think about good and beautiful things.
Music can be powerful – including bad music. It can help unite us with God or distance us from Him.
King David was a musician, and he sang to God in the Psalms. Through every joy and heartache, David turned to the Lord through music. David embraced his emotions with music that affirmed what he was feeling but also spoke the truth about each situation he sang about.
We can do the same. There are more songs now than ever before with good melodies and even better messages to match what we are living. Instead of thinking about how much a song makes you bob your head along, consider how much a song helps elevate your mind and soul toward God.
When you hear a song on the radio that you like, maybe take some time to read the lyrics before adding it to your playlist.
Another suggestion is to mix in some worship songs with your everyday music. Finding songs that enrich your life and remind you of your relationship to God can do wonders for your spirit.
Ultimately, music should not fill our every waking moment. It is not a substitute for the beautiful song of silence. St. John Climacus said that the “lover of silence draws close to God. He talks to Him in secret and God enlightens him.”
While it can be wonderful to hear songs that express what we feel or that help to elevate our thoughts, it is in silence that we can convene most intimately with Christ. Silence creates saints, and it is silence that is the true music of the heart.
