Lately, in the car and at home, all I've been listening to is contemporary Christian worship music.
I think we've listened to a single Rend Collective c.d. in the car for about 27 times in a row so far.
And the other day, I was reminded of one of the best reasons for stocking my playlist with exclusively worship music.
My little almost-4-year-old came up to me, me laying exhausted on the couch in the middle of twin boy chaos, and starting singing.
My lighthouse, my lighthouse, shining in the darkness, I will follow you...
Let me tell you, I was kind of astounded.
Then we made a game of it and I discovered that both my kids knew the whole chorus off by heart. Kind of super cool. Hashtag mommy win.
And this is why I choose to listen to worship music on repeat:
The music that we listen to, just like the books that we read, and the friends that we keep, help to shape us into the people that we become.
Gandhi is rumoured to have said...
Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny
I have seen this principle in action firsthand, and heard stories second- and third-hand. It can be both terrifying and beautiful, the amount of freedom that we have in shaping our own souls.
The music that we listen to can become the background music to our lives.
Just like reading the Bible and committing Scripture to memory, having a collection of Christian music running through our heads can help us to fall back on certain Scriptural principles in times of stress.
Just as pro athletes practice so that their skills become so ingrained that their very muscles remember them, so we can feed our souls with messages that will be stored away so that our very muscles remember them when we need them most.
So what I see us doing, in listening to Rend Collective over and over and over and over again is not just rejoicing in the glory of the Lord, but strengthening our souls by feeding them with messages and principles that will keep us strong in the storm.