Music is often the topic of conversation at church, around the church and after church. Even when we meet with other pastors - "Hey, so what are you doing about the music?" It's a subject I am quite passionate about - for different reasons than you might think.
Music can be incredibly personal and holds so much emotion. What is it that makes music so powerful? We attach memories and feelings with a particular combination of notes and lyrics. I was watching a television show recently on my laptop at home. I was the only one watching the show. Typical background music that was creating a mood. Paul walked through the room and said, "that sounds like a funeral." Interestingly enough - it wasn't a familiar tune that anyone would recognize as being in a funeral or memorial service, like Amazing Grace or It is Well. This was really just an orchestra in the backround. While it wasn't a funeral I was watching, there was pictured a man in a casket. WOW, I thought - that music depicted the scene pretty well.
Later last night, we appeared to be hitting a wall with our kids and homework. The lack of sleep was taking it's toll on the kids in addition to the massive amounts of reading, project preparation and assigments that needed to be done. Suffice it to say - we needed to change the music. So, as I am known to do with my boys, I turned up the music. I started with the Happy Little Working Song from the soundtrack for "Enchanted." (This is the song I will play when I do housework....and would rather not be.) The words were a little hard to understand and it became more of a love song....which didn't exactly appeal to the boys. However, I then put on the soundtrack to the movie "Charlie's Angels" and that got the room to rockin'. They couldn't help getting up and getting goofy. Before you knew it - we were all into the strong beats and rythyms of the music getting the blood flowing again.
There are some songs I will sing (and I use the term "sing" loosely) when my boys need a pick me up. They eventually smile and decide life isn't horrible afterall. Just like when they were babies, I would sing to calm them and send them to sleepyland. The songs now are still to calm, but to give them new perspective. (Life should be fun.)
So - when someone is listening to music you don't "get" and they dance up and down in a way that might be considered exercise in some gyms, appreciate it - they may need it. Or, you feel like you might fall asleep, or need to put in earplugs because the volume is too high or the notes too shrill - appreciate the fact that you can hear and feel - the music.
Maybe today, you need a change in music - with a change in the station - you might find yourself experiencing something new and invigorating - or the peace you long for. So - find someone with different tastes than your own - listen to what inspires and motivates them. You might learn something new about the power of music.
