Music

I was sitting on the couch one Sunday morning while Jack was at meetings. He had left the CD player going and a song came on that took me back 11 years. When I met Jack. I sat listening, smiling, and remembering the beginning of our relationship.

We met at EFY. The theme that year was Forward with Faith. We have taken that and applied it to be our theme in marriage. His wedding ring has the inscription "Faith" in hebrew (the design used for that year in EFY). One of our first Christmas' he gave me a necklace with this same inscription. I love that. But it wasn't until I heard a song from the CD we received that year that brought back certain memories. Sitting in my friend's room whom I went to EFY with after we came back from an awesome week. We pulled out the CD and listened while I sat crushing on this amazing boy I met. :)

This experience reminded me of the power of music. The first presidency has said-

"Inspirational music is an essential part of our church meetings. The hymns invite the Spirit of the Lord, create a feeling of reverence, unify us as members, and provide a way for us to offer praises to the Lord.

Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns. Hymns move us to repentance and good works, build testimony and faith, comfort the weary, console the mourning, and inspire us to endure to the end" (Hymns, 1985, p.ix).

Music is a pretty incredible thing. We use a lot of it in church, but we're also supposed to make wholesome music of all kinds a part of our life. It doesn't always have to be hymns we listen to, but we do need to be careful.Elder Boyd K. Packer has said "Now a warning! Some music is spiritually very destructive. You young people know what kind that is. The tempo, the sounds, and the lifestyle of those who perform it repel the Spirit. It is far more dangerous than you may suppose, for it can smother your spiritual senses." I love that. It's an eye opener to me that even the tempo or lifestyle of the person singing that can be 'very' destructive.

I have made a goal to listen to more wholesome music. Let's be honest, I rarely listen to music at all. I'm home all day, never drive in a car anymore which is when I used to listen to music the most. And when my kids want music, it is usually Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. However, my husband is a great example of what wholesome music is. I appreciate the groups he listens to and that we can all enjoy it as a family. We picked up a couple CDs from Seagull Book where I know they are wholesome people singing wholesome songs. I think it's good to surround ourselves with those things rather than what is on the radio, especially when you don't have control over what comes on next.

My last big goal is to listen to more hymns. I admit I was a 'hymns are only for Sunday' girl. But reading what our general authorities have said about music it makes me realize 'sacred music has to do with revelation...Secular music may be inspiring in a classical or popular sense, but it will not prepare your mind to be instructed by the spirit as will sacred music." I would love to have more personal revelation on a daily basis and not limit myself to those moments only on Sundays. I need to include hymns and reverence as a daily part of my life.

Just to end with a quote I liked-

"It seems that iniquity abounds on all sides, with the Adversary taking full advantage of the time remaining to him in this day of his power. The leaders continually cry out against that which is intolerable in the sight of the Lord: against pollution of mind and body and our surroundings; against vulgarity, stealing, lying, cheating, false pride, blasphemy, and drunkenness; against fornication, adultery, homosexuality, abortion, and all other abuses of the sacred power to create; against murder and all that is like unto it; against all manner of degradation and sin."

I was amazed reading this list. That not only the fact are we warned that music can pollute our mind, but all those other awful things are what a majority of music is about nowadays. If Satan can't make you commit adultery yet, he'll just sing songs about it, get it in our head, until we do think it is okay, no matter how off course it may seem now.

I am grateful for the influence music can have on us, and am ever more dedicated to be aware what that music is doing to my spirit.