I love music. I love playing it, singing it, dancing to it, and for the most part, I like all different kinds. I'm able to listen to a lot of variety, because there are so many different aspects to a song I admire.
Sometimes I love a song for its music. Essentially any song with a piano, even for a second, is golden. Then there are some songs with an acoustic guitar with a beautiful finger picking pattern, and it automatically becomes most played on my list.
So then, sometimes I love a song for its beat and rhythm. ‘Pretty’ music is great, but there are times when you just want to dance, and you’ve got to have a sound drumbeat for that. Or maybe there are some crazy keyboard strokes in there that sound like lasers or something; totally dance worthy!
Sometimes I love a song because it’s the perfect range for my voice and I can really belt it out. And I mean belt it. I’m not talking about singing in a nice, sweet voice. I mean ‘my throat might hurt tomorrow from screaming like this’ singing. In this case, I might not even care about the instruments or the words (except that I know them so I can sing/scream them) because I just love singing, and rocking out to a great song, in my opinion, is simply great for the soul.
Then there are times when I love a song because of its lyrics. It might be lacking a nice beat, my favorite instruments, or that perfect range, but the lyrics are just so awesome that I can’t turn it off.
The worst kind of songs are the catchy ones you hate, because somehow or another they still end up being stuck in your head. How does these even happen? I don't know, but I'd avoid it if I could.
The other day I was singing a song (one I'd probably list as "indifferent" because I don't hate it, but it's not really one I'd jam out to) that was stuck in my head, and there were a couple of strange things about it.
One was that I probably have not heard or sung this song since I was in grade school. How or why it was in my head, I didn't know.
Two was that I could not even think of another song to sing. I don’t even know how to explain that, but I felt like my mind was convinced that those words were the only song lyrics it knew.
Third was that it wasn't subconscious, yet it sort of was. I mean, I was fully aware of the lyrics I was singing, but it felt like my brain wasn't singing them. (Maybe it's because they were playing from my heart).
So let me set the scene for you: the previous day was horrific to say the least. It felt as if it would never end, and I was forever trapped in a world full of every negative feeling I know. I was emotionally, physically, and spiritually drained. The months and months of stretching myself too far and doing way too much had finally caught up to me and broken me down. I did what everyone said I was going to: I burned out.
That’s what I felt like, anyways. Days like those had been becoming more and more common, but I think that it had finally been the last straw. I was beat. Before I went to bed that night, God sent me a few different messages (in amazing ways) to remind me of a few basics that I had forgotten in the midst of my weariness. Amongst many other things, He reminded me of how great His love is for me and how transforming that simple fact can be in my life.
That’s what I felt like, anyways. Days like those had been becoming more and more common, but I think that it had finally been the last straw. I was beat. Before I went to bed that night, God sent me a few different messages (in amazing ways) to remind me of a few basics that I had forgotten in the midst of my weariness. Amongst many other things, He reminded me of how great His love is for me and how transforming that simple fact can be in my life.
The next morning, I had a song stuck in my head. Again, the song choice was so weird to me, but there it was, loud and clear as if it was playing audibly directly into my ears. Here are the words that my heart couldn’t stop singing that next day:
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy
down in my heart,
down in my heart to stay.
And I’m so happy, so very happy
I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart.
Deep, right? Maybe. But really, it's just simple. I mean, it’s not even a long song. If you sing the full thing, it might be 30 seconds long. Yet this was the song that was joyfully playing all day long to my heart.
So I got to thinking about it, and I realized how amazing that song really is. There is joy! And why? Because we've got the love of Jesus.
Not because we just won the lottery.
Not because we lost 15 pounds.
Not because we got a promotion.
Not because of an earthly success or fortune.
Joy simply because we've got the love of their Savior.
At one point, I could barely fathom how much this song just made sense. I mean, how can you not be joyful about having the love of Jesus? I was thinking, “Why do I not have these lyrics written on my wall? Why don’t I sing this song every morning? It’s just so perfect!” Just imagine the amount of joy we could have on a daily basis if we found our joy first and foremost in the love of God. Our joy would be endless! God reminded me that morning that I find my joy, my riches, my happiness, and my life in Him; He knew that I was starting to forget that.
I was caught up in what I could do. I was exhausted by guilt. I was distracted by my worries, my schoolwork, my job, my stress, the burdens I was carrying; everything. I don’t know that it was a conscious path that I was walking, but I was beginning to try and find happiness and peace in things and in people other than in my Savior. I don't even think that I was specifically seeking happiness, but I was allowing earthly things to divert my attention away from the joy found in Him.
I don’t think that I am alone in this whirlwind of distraction. I think that we all can fall into this trap at any point in our lives. We strive to do too much. We have too many responsibilities. Worries and problems tug at us throughout each day. Whatever it may be, I think that we can sometimes forget where our joy really comes from. Our lips sing the praises without the presence of the heart. We go through the motions of our work without remembering for whom we do it. We seek happiness from earthly things and forget that such pure joy in our hearts can’t be found here.
We forget the simplicity of having joy in our hearts because we have the love of Jesus.
If you're going to forget anything, forget your worries. Forget about your long to-do list and the burdens that you carry. Forget the stress, doubt, guilt, uncertainty, anger, shame, or loneliness you feel. Forget those things, but do not forget where to find your greatest joy. Once you forget where to find it, you’ll lose it, and it’s the greatest joy you will ever find.
“In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Psalm 16:11
