Oh Be Careful Little Ears What You Hear

You can hear it almost anywhere you go. It relaxes you, invigorates you, and takes you back to the oldest of memories. It sets the mood to every minute you’re exposed to it. It is the sound of music filling the air.

And while many share this common interest for a love of music, I can honestly say, I’ve always taken it two steps further.

Music was rich in my family before I was even a thought. It was always played and always encouraged to be played. Upon entering my teenage years, it quickly became an obsession.

My walls were plastered with posters and album covers. I could tell you the history of any classic rock band down to their birthdays. In fact, it was more than an obsession; it was my idol. And this idol remained as I grew older, only broadening in genre and fascination.

It was there while attending the darkest venues of metal and moshpits, where lead singers hung from the rafters. It was there as I screamed like a fanatical girl from the 60’s for my first Paul McCartney concert. And it was there as I dressed in anime costume for late night EDM festivals where God was certainly nowhere to be found.

Yes, somehow, through all of this, I still tried to maintain my loyalty to God. But instead, all I was doing through these years of obsession was trying to hide God behind a curtain while I filled my ears and mind with drug influenced lyrics of obscenity.

“There is but one God” – 1 Corinthians 8:6

And then I became sick. And like half of the world, I sought the highest help – I ran back to God.

I was too sick to see. Too sick to move. Too sick to even think. All that I had left was music. And at this point of begging for God’s healing, I wanted nothing but His music, His presence. So worship became my medicine.

Unfortunately, it became merely an as-needed medicine, as I ran back to the secular stuff on every pain-free day. These false feelings of fulfillment gradually shifted to guilt.

True faith means desiring God on both good days and bad. You cannot just run to Him when you need Him. Because in all honesty, you always need Him.

And at this point in my life, I certainly needed Him. I had grown even more sick, which left me wanting nothing but praise and worship day and night. There were simply not enough good days to go back to the secular.

But then, medical treatment failed, and I became frustrated with God. Where had my faith even gotten me at this point? Where was the purpose? The healing?

I became so sick of hearing worship music that I wondered how I could even go the rest of my life listening to only that. There was no way. Not me. Not the one who had an obsession, an addiction, an idol.

Only God could strip me of that desire and replace it with Him. And only prayer for that desire would help. He would have to completely transform my spirit until it overpowered my flesh.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:2

The change began when my baby finally started to talk. And one afternoon, from another room, he sang the words to one of the worship songs.

He knew it. He had been listening all this time, absorbing everything he had been surrounded with. And I could only imagine how convicted I would have felt had he sang any of the other songs I used to play.

At this age in his life, where I knew he would begin copying everything we did and said, I realized I couldn’t play anything else.

But Satan never lets go. And I began to wonder, was all secular music bad? So many songs are filled with nothing but love and joy. Was it really a sin to listen to them?

I looked around at other Christians. I looked at leaders in the church. If they could do it, why couldn’t I? I became so confused in what was wrong or right.

But God is not the author of confusion. And in no way should we look to men for answers. The answer comes from God.

So I decided to go back to my old 90’s way of handling things: What Would Jesus Do?

Jesus wouldn’t waste time.

If someone is desiring Jesus and wants nothing more than to be in the presence of God, why waste time on the secular? Why not do all you can to have Him while you’re here? His presence is in the praise!

“But you are holy, O you that inhabit the praises of Israel.” – Psalm 22:3

Through God’s answered prayer, I gained the desire to listen to praise and worship. I was even able to pray and receive the same request for my husband. And I knew that anytime I ventured off, even to instrumental jazz, I was only wasting my time.

Was it going to send me to hell? Most likely not. But was it strengthening me to be who Christ called me to be? Or worse, was it cracking open that door that would lead me back to my old idol?

The devil knows our weaknesses, and I certainly could not take that chance of slowly being desensitized. I refused to go backwards.

Now, I want His worship played 24/7. I want it to wake me up every morning, to be what plays during breakfast, what kicks off our day. I want it keeping us on the right mindset throughout our week. I want His presence to fill our home at all times to keep our minds and hearts covered and devoted to Him, to keep us in tune with His will and purpose – even if I have to sleep with it on.

Because in His presence there is fullness of joy. There is peace, love, comfort, healing, restoration, transformation. And nothing else I could listen to could ever provide that.