Music

One of my favorite things in the world is music.  I love music!  Over the years I have added hundreds of songs to my collection and I can sing almost every one.  There are tons of different genres and sounds to choose from (and I love them all) but I have come to realize that now is the point in my life where I need to be choosing and solidifying the standards I would like to live for.  Sadly, due to some of the music being released, you can’t just buy music because it sounds cool anymore.  As I started to sit down and take the time to listen to the lyrics of many of my favorite songs I soon came to realize that a lot of them actually went against my standards and talked about things I was strongly against.  Sure the beat was great but I knew I needed to get rid of music that highlighted things I didn’t believe in and sure it’s just one cuss word but it takes away the spirit.  

    I know our choice in music doesn’t seem like a big deal while in fact the opposite is true.  We hum songs while bored at school, listen to them while we drive, and dance to the new releases.  Whether you realize it or not, when you listen to music you are subconsciously taking in the message it is portraying, whether good or bad.  It was hard for me to get rid of some of my favorite songs but as I rebuilt my music collection and added new music I noticed that the wholesome music I was listening to was not only making me happy and allowing the spirit to stay but just made my days better.  In times of trial or fear I found myself humming songs of faith and encouragement instead of songs that added to my pity or had a bad attitude towards my situation.  

    I personally love to start my day off listening to the K-Love and Air One radio.  I’ve never really listened to Christian music because I loved hymns (and church music) but I wanted fun, upbeat songs to dance to throughout my day.  Upon the discovery of K-Love and Air One I came to the realization that there is a lot of good contemporary Christian music out there!  It is by listening to artists like Tobymac, Mercyme, and Matthew West that I have changed my view on life and worked on making the gospel the central part of my life.  

For those of you a little skeptical of listening to Christian music I encourage you to try it out because it was the best discovery I ever made.  But good, wholesome music can come from all artists of all genres so don’t think that filtering the music you listen to means to restrict yourself to just Christian music.  

    One of my favorite genres (besides Christian music) is country.  I love artists such as Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes, Easton Corbin, and Tim Mcgraw who have upbeat, appropriate music that have nothing to do with Jesus but still positively affect my day.  Sometimes some of the artists release one song that makes it onto the “take away from the spirit” list or has vulgar language.  It stinks because usually the song has a great sound and I own all of the other songs by the artist but I find it best to just get rid of the song.  You can love and artist and genre, just choose wisely what songs you are singing along too.  

I promise you that as you work on surrounding yourself with wholesome music with appropriate language and uplifting messages that you will start to notice a positive change in your life.  You will be more happy, positive, and kind as well as feel the love your Heavenly Father and Savior has for you as you invite the spirit throughout your day.  I know it can be tough for those music lover out there but I challenge you to go through your media and take the first step towards changing and improving your life!

Some of my fav artists

• Matthew West
• Tobymac
• Mercyme
• Newsboys
• Easton Corbin
• Tim Mcgraw
• Pentatonix
• Hunter Hayes
• Britt Nicole
• BYU Vocal Point
• BYU Noteworthy
• The Piano Guys
• Lindsey Stirling
• Josh Wilson
• David Archuleta
• Taylor Swift
• Big Daddy Weave
• Colton Dixon
• Hollyn
• Jamie Grace
• Lecrae
• Jordan Feliz
• The Nashville Tribute Band
• Sidewalk Prophets
• For King and Country
• Twenty One Pilots
• Switchfoot
• Jamesthemormon