Music.  It’s there.  In the background of my thoughts.  Whispering or sung aloud, sometimes it comes out clear and strong or just as a hum.  It forms and reflects my inner life even more than my other conscious activities.  I can’t help it.  I’ve been like this since I can remember. 

Sometimes it’s some tune from a commercial that I can’t get out of my head.  Other times it’s a melody I’ve recently sung, in fun, to my wife or whistled as I walk through the house.  There are times when I can’t get away from it, even if I wanted to.  It’s often humorous, when my wife asks me the words to a refrain I haven’t even thought about since I was a teenager.  I know those words, every one.  We sing the song together, frequently laughing as we do.

I hear a snatch of an old-school musical and I’m back in my childhood living room with my mom and my brother and sisters, re-enacting a scene from Music Man or My Fair Lady.  If it happens to be a piece of Beatles music, I’m singing along without a second thought.  More often than not, it’s a familiar hymn shared with other folks in worship.  Those melodies bring back good memories.  There are other pieces of music that bring back other memories – not so enjoyable ones – because of what the songs meant when I first listened to them, or what they’ve become since then. 

As a pastor, I’ve found that an awareness of music is sometimes the last thing to go in a person nearing death.  I’ve had comatose patients respond when one of their family members and I sing an old hymn in their presence.  People who can’t remember their own children’s names can remember all the words to two or three verses of something they sang in church most of their life.  Music apparently goes deeper than our thoughts. 

So, it matters a whole lot to me what I listen to.  If I listen to sad or angry music, guess where my thoughts go?  If I enjoy uplifting music, I’m inspired!  I think that’s true for all of us.  I also think it’s been that way for a long, long time, not just recently.  Paul wrote a letter to a group of Christians in first-century Colossae who needed encouragement.  His advice?  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly … as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).  Paul makes a point of mentioning our hearts here.  If the hints I’ve already mentioned hold any weight, the effects go much deeper than our ears.  Music touches our souls.

I don’t know about you, but there are times when I fall out of good habits.  It’s not that I’m becoming rebellious or obstinate.  I just don’t remember to do things that used to have a positive impact on my life.  I am sure that happened with music for a while.  I let my soul dwell too long without the right kind of musical input.  Recently, I’ve begun to intentionally put music – good, uplifting music – back into my life.  It has made a tremendous difference.

Are you struggling with being down, especially with all the difficult things we’ve been enduring over the last couple of years?  Find some good music and play or sing it.  Make it loud, if you enjoy it that way, or so soft that it speaks to you intimately.  It can be well-done instrumental work or simple songs.  Hum or sing along, or maybe even dance with it!  You don’t have to be perfect.  This is not for your ears.  It’s for a part of us that is far deeper.  You might want to pick something that speaks of God’s love and his tender mercies.  It can be an old, familiar hymn, or an up-beat, contemporary piece.

Most importantly, let it soak into your soul and bring forth joy.  That’s really what it’s about.