I love music. I still remember the first song I completely memorized (Girl Next Door by Saving Jane), the first song I added on a Spotify playlist (We Are by Big Time Rush), the first song that made me feel the butterflies in my chest because I loved it so much (Ships in the Night by Mat Kearney), my first heartbreak song (Everybody’s Got Somebody but Me by Hunter Hayes), and the first song that made me physically sob while screaming the lyrics (Kitchen Sink by Twenty One Pilots). I always walk around my college campus with headphones in listening to music, and my first tattoo I got in December is the title of a song (In Christ Alone.).
Music is a really large part of my life. And when I realized that, I started thinking about how I worship. I started closing my eyes while singing in church and any other praise and worship setting to focus on the lyrics and how God was working through the songs.
And God did some big things.
For one, He spoke through countless songs when I was deciding whether or not to apply for the World Race GY. I never thought it was possible to hear God’s voice; I never expected God to speak to me directly or to physically hear His voice. And although I didn’t hear a large, booming voice from the heavens, I still heard Him when I decided to finally listen.
I’ve heard Him a lot through worship songs, but also through songs not written necessarily with worship in mind. Twenty-One Pilots is a band that has been a big part of my spiritual life, and more recently The Greatest Showman soundtrack.
But just yesterday I was making a playlist on Spotify full of songs I listened to as a kid and looking back on playlists from sophomore year of high school and I came across one that stood out a lot:
Risk It All by the Vamps.
I loved that song in high school, but listening to it now I got a completely different message from it. When I listened to it before, I imagined risking everything for a guy; risking everything in order to have a relationship with someone.
Now I think about risking the life I have now in order to follow Christ out of my comfort zone.
“I’d risk it all /
I’d rather crash, I’d rather crawl /
Than never have your love at all /
With only bricks to break my fall /
For you I’d risk it all”
Than never have your love at all /
With only bricks to break my fall /
For you I’d risk it all”
The chorus (above) gave me that gut punch kind of feeling when I looked back at the lyrics. It made me think about what I was risking and why I was risking a lot. Before I decided to apply for the World Race, I found myself constantly asking, “Am I willing to risk it?” Am I willing to risk the judgment of not going back to school? Am I willing to risk losing a lot back home? Am I willing to risk what I thought my life would be like in order to follow Christ’s call?”
I am.
Are you willing to risk the world judging you in order to love the Lord with all your heart?
SO some lessons I learned from music (and even from writing this):
1. Take risks!! Getting out of your comfort zone is the only way you can grow.
2. Music is a blessing. I swear there’s a song for pretty much any situation God puts you in.
Okay, so I could only think of two lessons right now, but they’re good ones!!
-Katie Ericks
