Saturday was the free concert by City of Refuge. It was amazing! I took my daughter and my friend with her two daughters. We carpooled and went early so that we could avoid traffic. We enjoyed a nice walk and dinner before the show. The artists that performed were Jessie Clark Funk, Rachelle Call, Jen Marco, Aaron Edson, and guest David Osmond. The speakers were Rich Uhl and Chris. If you would like to find out more about them you can go to this website: http://stepintolight.org/who-we-are/ .
The show was directed at helping people who are recovering from addictions. They discussed how important music is in our lives and what a strong influence it is. Music, good music, can help us through the darkness that we face in our lives. They shared a powerful statistic about people recovering from addiction. A recovery center in Arizona has shown that 100% of people recovering from addiction that do not change the negative music they listen to will suffer a relapse. They suggest that in order to increase their chances of successful recovery they must change the music they listen to, to a more positive uplifting and supportive based music.
They challenged everyone to change your music, change your life. The challenge is to change the music you listen to for 30 days. The music you listen to should not have an adult warning label on it. It shouldn't have bleeped out words. I believe this is because the mind fills in the blank, especially if you've heard the unbleeped version. The music should leave you feeling uplifted and better than before you heard it. If any music you listen to leaves you feeling negative in any way, then find something else for those 30 days.
I have had this kind of discussion with my daughter for a while now. I have known for quite some time that everything we partake of has an effect on us. I liked the way they described music. They said that music is the sound of feelings. If we are listening to something that is angry then the chances are high that it will influence us to become angry ourselves. I used this analogy when talking to my daughter. If you put unhealthy things into the body like junk food, what will happen? The body will show signs of ill health such as acne, obesity, fatigue, etc. So if this happens with the body what happens if we put unhealthy things into our mind such as foul or negative music? Then the mind and even the emotions will show signs of ill health such as impatience, intolerance, anger, stress, sadness, etc. Just as the body will reflect the negative choices we choose to partake of so will the mind and the heart; for our thoughts lead to our feelings.
I appreciate the messages they had to share with us about music helping through addiction and recovery but I believe the message has far greater applications. I believe that it applies to any darkness that we find ourselves facing on our journey in life. There are many times in life when we feel that life is too much to bear. Whether that is in regards to finances, family, relationships, self-love, depression, mental illness, physical limitations, whatever the situation be, there are times when it feels to great and we struggle to find a way to continue. It is in these times when music can be the tool that the Lord uses to provide the message of comfort, of hope, or of faith that we are seeking.
Music can be a ray of light through the darkness leading the way out or it can be the means of leading us into darker things. Ultimately it's up to us. We choose if it is a means of simple entertainment, a means of entrapment, or a means to feed and uplift the soul. It can be the means of strengthening us and aiding us to resist the dark temptations in life.
I am taking the challenge. And so are my daughter and our friends. So I am going to challenge you to change your music, change your life. For 30 days really pay attention to the music you choose. Choose that which will uplift and edify. Choose that which will comfort and heal. I believe that at the end of the 30 days you will notice a remarkable improvement in your life. I also believe that after the 30 days you will not want to go back but will want to continue on with your new way of looking at what you choose to use to entertain yourself. Invite someone else to take the challenge with you; your friends, your family, anyone and everyone. There is strength in numbers.
After the 30 days, come back and leave a comment letting me know how it went. I can't wait to hear from you.
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