“So, rise and shine and give God the glory, glory…!” Songs from my childhood creep up on me. They usually come in the front door around 3:20pm, Monday through Thursday, and dance off the tongues of my children (music links for Arky, Arky and Rise & Shine). At least they aren’t singing Jingle Bells in September… very often. I can’t really complain about their song choice. At least it’s not Baby Shark… right now. Anyone who’s had contact with me on Facebook has probably heard me mention music (mostly praise and worship). I love music, and I’m a firm believer in atmospheres being changed according to the music applied. But it’s not just music that can make those subtle but noticeable changes.
There are quite a few one-step things out there that we can do to influence our life, or so the studies claim. One such step is simply making the bed. Growing up and being told to make my bed was craziness! You’ve probably heard the argument: why make my bed when I’m just going to unmake it when I go to bed? And the other: who cares that it’s unmade – no one is going to be in my room to see it. Studies show that simply by making your bed every morning, you start the day with a sense of accomplishment. Making your bed every morning also sets the tone for the rest of the home – it encourages organization and neatness. Having a home that is neat and tidy, even if just your bedroom, affords lower stress and better rest.
If you grew up in church circles, then you’ve probably been advised to have a quiet time, or a time set aside for prayer, reading the Bible, or doing a short devotional. It’s very easy to disregard this time, and life seems to have a way of convincing us that it’s not as important as other things. I’m not a morning person, but I tear myself from my Egyptian cotton sheets each morning to help fix hair, tuck in shirts, and tie shoes (getting kids off to school). Afterwards, I’m watching each drop of coffee fall into my mug, trying not to drool too much as I imagine that first sip. Having time with God in the morning, for me at least, is best done after the first cup of coffee.
Music also has the ability to influence our day. Most people, when driving to work or school, will have music playing. If it’s not music, it’s news or talk radio. How often do we drive in silence? Have you ever noticed that, depending on the mood you’re in when you leave the house, you listen to music to match your mood? What about how your mood reflects what you’ve been immersing yourself in? When working, there are certain tunes that increase my productivity, tunes that help me focus, and tunes that motivate me.
When I was in my mid-twenties, I listened to the typical music on the popular radio stations. I still enjoy pop, hip-hop, country, R&B, jazz… and I have a love / hate for oldies and rock! Queen, Deep Purple, AC/DC, Foreigner, and Three Dog Night are several of my favorites when listening to rock, but they seem to speak to a part of me that’s best left in the past – along with some other music genres. Knowing that I can so easily connect with and lose myself in music, I can’t go with the natural flow of things and listen to music that matches the mood. I have to be purposeful with what I listen to.
If you have a person who has anger issues, do you feed them a steady stream of angry-sounding music? If you have someone who is depressed, is it wise to have them listening to woe-is-me, life-is-terrible music? No to both! I’ve experienced heartbreak, depression, anger, and felt completely overwhelmed. I’m not saying that those emotions are not valid and that they should not be acknowledged. I am saying that you shouldn’t buy a house and retire there. Oddly enough, it was during a time of heartache that I made the decision to figure out who God really was and I started making small, but significant changes. If you want a certain kind of result, you have to take the necessary steps; you can’t just wing it.
During my day-to-day, I often recall different things said to me or things I’ve read. I also tend to recall some pretty useless things (the address of where I lived when I was 9 years old and a phone number I had two phone numbers ago). I’ve been blessed with insightful family who’ve been willing to share nuggets of wisdom from time to time. My Nana has dropped a few sayings that have stuck with me like, “Poop or get off the pot” (a favorite, and pardon the pun) and “Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can get done today,” things like that. My Granma used to tell me, “You can’t have clean dishes if you have a dirty sink,” which should be applied in some of the not-so-obvious areas of my life. From a book I took away “The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.” But the phrase that kept coming to me when I started making changes was this: “Garbage in; garbage out.”
It’s pretty well known that a diet of junk food, fast food, sodas, and energy drinks will wreak havoc on your body. Well, the same can be said for what we feed our minds (television, movies, books, magazines, music, etc.). As I mentioned, I decided to make small changes: I traded my secular radio station for a Christian station; the news and talk shows for silence. I replaced the secular music on my MySpace profile (yes, this was a while ago) with Christian tunes. I listened to music a lot; I still do. Within about a month, my manager and close mentor (at the time) made an observation about me. We were going over some daily reports, deposit numbers (banking… for 12 years… ugh) and, as was the norm, we started rabbit-trailing towards our faith. He told me that he wasn’t sure what it was, but something had changed in me; that I seemed… happier.
Of all the talks that this manager and I had over the course of more than 5 years, that was the one that stuck with me. I seemed happier. The rest of the day, I remember trying to figure out what had changed. I wasn’t seeing anyone; a relationship wasn’t even on my radar. I was still going through the same groundhog-day-style motions of life. The only thing I had changed was the music I had streaming into my life. I was pouring positive into my mind and positive poured back out. Instead of “garbage in; garbage out,” I had “joy poured in; joy overflows out.”
I follow a group on Facebook that is made up of Christian women; mothers, wives, seasoned Christians and baby Christians who have formed an online community. Prayer requests, praise reports, scriptures, and parenting advice/hacks are shared daily. There’s so many who request prayer in regards to depression and feelings of isolation and inadequacies. Many will offer prayer and scripture, which is correct in it’s own way, but I advise them to start playing praise and worship non-stop; to change the atmosphere. I absolutely believe in the power of prayer; I just see praise, worship and thanksgiving as the first step in the prayer process. 
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:10-12 (NIV)
I used to seek out solutions to my unknowns in every area but the right one. I would read through self-help books, I listened to advice given on talk shows, and listened to radio talk shows. I would also seek advice from friends who were good people but not relying on God as their source. Many times, I would find something that would help for a while, but would prove fairly quickly to be a temporary fix. Not one of those self-help books or talk shows stood by me, and there are few people that will stand by you when your world falls apart.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:10-15 (NIV)
Along with the power of praise and worship, I will never discount the power of prayer. There is a tangible relief felt when the body of Christ encircles us in prayer. Throughout the Bible, we are encouraged to lift each other up in prayer, with praise and thanksgiving (Philippians 4:4-9), but reminded to rest in God. This is not something having to do with time management or taking a day off. This is about resting in the knowledge that the Good Shepherd laid down his life for his sheep – over-abundantly answering the cries for salvation. We rest in His finished work. When we find that we’re feeling overwhelmed, whether there’s an attack on our physical bodies or our emotions, we need to look to the Good Shepherd. Yes, reach out to your circle for prayer, alert them of the coming wolf, but look to the Good Shepherd for your lasting solution with praise and thanksgiving on your lips.
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” Psalm 28:7 (NIV) I’ve come to recognize when I start to feel overwhelmed and I’ve learned that I handle those times better when I throw the praise and worship on (sometimes I need the volume louder than my children). The Bible speaks of demons fleeing at the name of Jesus (Luke 10). Healing happened by reaching out in faith to touch a piece of His garment (Mark 5). City walls crumbled when God’s people trusted and followed Him (Joshua 6). Prison walls fell at the sound of prayer and singing to God (Acts 16). And the Lord, our Good Shepherd, fights our battles as we lift our voices in praise (2 Chronicles 20)
Let’s start our day with making our bed, getting into the Word (with a cup of coffee for some), and go throughout our day with praise on our lips. You may change your atmosphere and end up, well, happier.