Music To My Ears

I have been told there are two kinds of people; those who spend more on music and those who spend more on books. I'm firmly in the latter category. I would guess I spend an average of about $10 per year on music - not a lot! I don't want to even think about how much I spend on books. Basically, that's to say that music is not that important to me. When I was a teenager and college student I did listen to a fair amount but it was never high on my list of things to do.

On Tuesday I was headed out of town to a BCBC board meeting and I uncharacteristically grabbed my iPod. Half way out to my destination (about 2 hours from my home) I remembered it, set it to shuffle, and started listening. I'm not sure why, but as I listened to songs I felt my soul stirring. Does that make sense? Basically by that I mean that I started thinking and feeling thoughts about my purpose in life, God, etc. I was thinking about transcendence, things outside of the material dimension but independent of it. I was hearing the spiritual meanings in the songs I was listening to and connecting with them. It felt good.

Occasionally some Christmas songs would come up. My first inclination was to skip them - most people who know me know of my struggle with the season - but I decided to give them a try anyway. To my surprise I found myself connecting deeply with several Christmas songs - the first time in a long time! I think that being able to reflect on the meaning of Christmas outside of the distraction of the season made the beauty and joy of Christ's birth finally available to me. I felt my heart soar as I listened to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlement" by BNL and I savoured the words "Wise men still adore him" in some late 70's Christmas music from my childhood. It was wonderful. When I got to my meeting I felt like a different person, more in touch with my heart (and my heart for God) then I usually do. When someone shared some verses in a devotional thought at the beginning of the meeting, I savoured each word. I felt elated and thoughtful.

I listened to more music on the way home and even sang along sometimes - worshipping in a way that was so unusual for me. For the first time in many moons I felt God connecting with me (and I with Him) through music. I know that music will never be one of the more prominent ways that I will connect to Him, but for that one night it was gift that I will cherish the memory of. Faith is more then just intellectual assent to things, it is also emotional connection. I think that for me music can be a powerful way to that emotional side. I want my faith to be intellectual and emotionally strong and I was reminded that night how necessary both are to my soul. Anyway, these are just some random thinking I had a few nights ago.