Friday, May 27, 2011

Music Is My Refuge

“We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” - C.S. Lewis


Some days are more difficult than others. Some days the pain is just a glimmer of thought as I am dancing through life's highs and lows. But God protects me. He is my Friend. He is my Strength.

Sometimes I feel the closest to Him through song.

"Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise"
~Blessings by Laura Story

"We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah"
~Better Than a Hallelujah by Amy Grant

"He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me"
~How He Loves by David Crowder Band

"When the waves are taking you under
Hold on just a little bit longer
He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger
The pain ain't gonna last forever
In time it's gonna get better
Believe me
This is gonna make you stronger"
~Stronger by Mandisa

I heart music. It relaxes me. It consumes me. It brings me closer to the God who made me.

I find the most meaning and deliverance through Christian music. But I have been all over the map with music I love. I grew up on 90s country (and still enjoy a good Zac Brown Band or Sugarland tune), converted to teen pop, then I had a phase of heavy rock, and college brought me all over the map with classical music, jazz, folk, oldies, and world music. Now I really enjoy the best of all there is out there. Music is my refuge.

Do you have any songs that you draw strength from or you feel were written for your circumstances?

I have plenty more. Trust me. Whenever Colin and I are driving somewhere together, pretty much like every other song I exclaim, "This is one of my favorites, Colin!"

And I turn the radio up just a little bit more.

5 comments:

  1. Christian music has been such a source of peace for me over the past few years! I love the ones you posted above, especially Laura Story and Mandisa!

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  2. I love so many songs too! Both Christian and pretty much anything else! I have Sirius XM radio and I love The Message on there. One of my absolute favourites is Beautiful by NeedtoBreathe. Among sooooo many others. Hoping that things start looking up for us soon....it has been a rough go the past little while, hasn't it? Either we should move there, or you guys should move here, then we could hang out and get through all this!

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  3. Thanks so much for your comment on my blog. What strategies/activitie were you thinking of in particular?

    I do a lot of singing (with my terrible voice), have some musical instruments I use with the kids, and find that using a sing-songy voice often helps improve imitation skills for little ones.

    The OT working with that child is certified or trained in Tomatis. Not sure if you are familiar, but it is therapeutic listening. He is working towards getting that child to tolerate the headphones and is using this technique.

    What age group do you work with and in what type of setting?

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  4. Praying for you! I love that Blessings song! It's a great one!

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  5. This is a really cool website. Great job, the comments are really insightful.

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