For the Music Lover, Ambitious-Flaky One, and the Imperfect Perfectionist.
I love music. I always have. I was not particularly skilled as a singer or a musician—pretty sure I failed the recorder in music class as a kid. But I do love it.
In the last few years, music has become a sweet way the Lord has connected with me—and me with Him.
I’ve sometimes thought it as crazy that people would say they heard a word from God. My reformed theology brain doesn’t really know what to do with that. BUT there have been moments over the past few years where the Lord has gifted me a song. I feel certain of it. Sometimes to comfort me. Sometimes to help me endure. Sometimes to make me dance and laugh. In many ways, I believe it is how He has romanced my heart. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a quintessential feeler. In the words of a friend, I ooze love. I guess knowing the way God designed me, I shouldn’t be surprised that the Maker of the Universe would stir my affections in a way that is sentimental and sweet.
Music has also been therapeutic for me. I am an avid learner. I am not super in tune to details, but in studying things, I like the details. I’ve begun to dissect lyrics—to pay attention to what I’m feeding my brain. And paying attention to what stirs my heart. So, when I love a song—when my heart is stirred by a song, I pull apart the lyrics and study it.
What parts do I like?
What parts do I not?
Is anything untrue about it?
What parts fit my life at this moment?
What parts fit my relationship with the Lord?
What parts fit my heartache and pieces of sadness?
May sound weird…
But in it, specifically, when I do this with worship songs or love songs, the Lord has produced a deeper affection for Him and a greater trust in His sweetness and goodness.
So, this Christmas, I am going to dissect some of my favorite Christmas songs.
Line by line…
Tuning in and meditating on the meaning of these verses we so often sing from muscle memory, but paying attention to the words and their meaning, and their ability to produce worship in us and for our King.
I am an ambitious girl who is also quite flaky. An oxymoron to some, but, it’s complicated in here.
I’m hoping that is true for some of you too and I am not the only one.
With that being said, I am going to aim for 1 lyric a day/1 blog post. = Ambitious.
In reality, I will likely end up doing it a couple times a week/8ish for the season = Reality.
I can be accusatory in this and call it flaky (as I just did), or I can say it is 8 more (or 5 more or 12 more) than I would have done if I didn’t set the goal at all.
Discipline is something I haven’t been great at throughout my life, but I do think it starts with a little bit of ambition, a little bit of accountability and a little bit of one step at a time. Perhaps this will also be a practice of imperfection for my perfectionistic, anxious little brain.
All that to say, join me?
Would love to invite you into my quirky brain and the fun, weird little way the Lord has ministered to my soul and drawn my heart to love Him more. I pray it causes us all to worship Him more.
Xoxo
Crystal
See you tomorrow…or Tuesday….we will see😊
Sincerely, Crystal 