Wednesday, May 29, 2013

More Than a Song

We were on our way home from a family camping trip.  The windows were down and we were all singing along, as joyfully noisy as possible, with Casting Crowns' Jesus, Friend of Sinners.  And as I let the line "A plank-eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided" roll from my lips, I stopped in my tracks.  Had I noticed that specific reference before...about the plank-eyed saint?  I immediately tied it to Jesus's teaching from Matthew 7:3-5 about judging others about the speck in their eye while we carry around planks in our own.  Then I wondered...do my kids process it the same?  Are they aware of that teaching from God Himself?  If so, do they make the connection to the song lyrics?  When we are singing Christian music, do they hear the lines pulled from King David's Psalms?

The world will throw plenty of music about its loves and treasures at them throughout their lives...so I need to make sure that I fill up as much of that mental real estate as possible with the Truth...with songs that they can sing in thanksgiving and praise...with songs that they can find solace in when heartbreak comes.  We have often talked about some of the classic hymns that we sing in church...but I had not spent much time on the tunes we drive around to or turn on loud while we clean house together.  So, for the summer, I decided to shift gears a little with our regular Bible study time.  Each week, one of the girls will propose one of our favorite contemporary Christian songs and we will take the song apart...looking for Biblical references...application...how it is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And my hope, as we tackle some of these songs, our discoveries will firm up the foundation of their faith and they will develop the skills of considering the lyrics of songs as they sing them, weighing their message and whether they are worthy of their time and personal hard drive space.

Today, we started with the 7-year-old's choice...Matthew West's Hello, My Name is.


2 comments:

Niki Christiansen said...

What a great idea for bible study together!
I think I might be stealing this!

Unknown said...

Hello my name is Child of the One True King, I've been saved, I've been changed, I have been set free.
Amazing Grace is the song I sing,
Hello my name is Child of the One True King, Wa oh ooh oh oh, Wa oh ooh oh oh, Wa oh ooh oh oh...
Great song and great thoughts Tracey! For many years before I knew the Lord, I had no interest in hymns, gospel music, or contemporary christian music but now my radio is programmed to the christian music channels. I believe the reason is that before knowing Jesus as savior, we are not interested in the things of the Lord so there was no special meaning to the lyrics. Now I'm lucky to get through an entire song without praising God, or wiping tears from my cheeks! And the songs like the one above are just full of life, joy, and hope! Those are the songs I now sing at the top of my lungs, with the windows down, while I'm cruising around. And pertaining particularly to your post, I often stop myself when I feel I'm judging someone else and think about my own plank filled eye, and I have to tell myself that when I point a finger at someone else, that I have two more fingers pointing back at me! We can't judge others for sinning differently than ourselves. Very humbling thoughts. Thanks for sharing! Love ya! Jen O