If you had to admit it, how many of you catch yourself singing a tune from the radio? We try and remain sensitive to the lyrics, but if it isn’t Christian, some of us might feel as if we’re skating on thin ice as we hum. No worries. You secret’s safe with me.
I grew up partial to Motown, show tunes and classic rock hits. They had a lush quality and lyrical variety that fit my twenty-something, angst-filled style and mood. When somber clouds dampened my spirit, I knew what side of an album to play (yeah, album!). When I questioned hope, I belted out “Tomorrow” like a wannabe Annie. And when I lost sight of my worth, I soon realized I needed a new playlist.
How many of you remember the songs of your youth and the value you gave them based on the concerns plaguing you in the moment? I’ll let you in on a little secret. I didn’t place much value in myself during those early adult years.
What? You didn’t either!? It’s a relief to know we never travel life alone.
Back then, I professed God, but I only put His love into limited, practical application. Instead, I felt the need to find my own way, to search out my own form of love and to make my own mark on the world. Funny thing with that line of thinking: marks without guidance and direction end as snarled knots. I abandoned God’s Presence for trappings wrapped in pretty words, human touch and empty promises.
Again! You too? Thank you for your honesty.
Although I believed songs eased my self-inflicted pain, I continued to listen to a toxic playlist. The melodies soothed me, but the words only reinforced my predicament and my mental assessment:
- You don’t deserve anything good
- You hold nothing of value
- You need to keep trying
- You hold no worth to anyone
- You aren’t perfect
I allowed people to devalue me and I accepted their assessment. Until God heard me singing my sad song and desired to change my tune. Forever. I look back now and realize He replaced V. A. L. U. E. with what could have ended my life. What’s that? Glad you asked. It’s God’s top-5 hits that define my value:
Validate my trauma: First, He simply hummed a familiar tune from my childhood. “What A Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” I joined in like a scratched record. Skipping. Hesitant. Forgetful, but eventually feeling the truth in its lyrics settling into several unfriendly situations. The man I thought I’d give my life up for — and almost did on a bathroom floor — caused a few songs in my mental discography to spin out of control until Christ came along and shut it down. I could live without the trauma and I would survive beyond the abuse! In turn, God didn’t push me away in that deep, dark moment of my despair.
Affirm my worth: Years of friendship grew into a deep, deep love of Jesus. My steps became more sure footed through reading His word and listening to His assessments. I could hear nuances to this new tune reverberating my heart. Verses sang like prayers as God said:
- You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139)
- You are created for good works (Ephesians 2:10)
- You are forgiven (Luke 7:47)
- Your strength is in the joy of the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10)
- You are healed (1 Peter 2:24)
- You are seen (Genesis 16:13)
- You are surrounded (Zephaniah 3:17)
Listen with intent: Where the words of my heart glazed over my so-called validators, God listened to my concerns with great intent. Often my groans resembled inaudible sobs, yet He never condemned me (Romans 8:1) nor abandoned His effort (Deuteronomy 31:8) to listen. You know how that is, don’t you? You wonder if the Lord will make a way somehow and like the rest of the lyrics to that old hymn, you embrace the fact that “there’s a sweet relief in knowing the Lord will make a way somehow.” He did for the leper, the lame, the diseased, the hurting, the distraught and the worthless.
And He did it for me. Wait! He did it for you too? Oh my goodness! “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!”
Understood my needs: Pain cannot go unanswered. Sooner or later we address its ills in a healthy or detrimental manner. The only solution for my pain back then involved a bottle of pills. But what of the countless victims who’ve succumbed to the toxic lyrics downplayed in their tormented souls? Oh how my heart aches for them and the playlist they trusted for years. Some never got to hear how truly beautiful they were in God’s eyes or how He longed to supply their needs (Philippians 4:19). In my crucial moment, God “looked beyond my faults and saw my needs.” When I was hungry for more than food, He nourished my soul with the words of sustained life. When I got sick and tired of being sick and tired of nonsense, He brought me clarity, perspective and needed rest.
It’s not about taking Him to the limit with our needs. He’s a good, good Father who has no limits and is lavishing in His love, which leads me to the final hit on God’s playlist.
Extends genuine love: There’s a sense of settledness when you can rely on consistency. Yeah, I’ll always have a fondness for the song “Tomorrow.” It gave a little, red-haired orphan girl hope knowing tomorrow was only a day away. But as I’ve learn to settle into the genuine love of God, my hope springs from all He’s done to make my life a reality everyday. I am seen by the One who validates my trauma, affirms my worth, listens intently to my cries and understands my needs. His love isn’t a I’ll-give-it-when-I-get-to-it offering that demands penance. His love is “overwhelming, never-ending, reckless,” fierce, protective, sweet, comforting, free and unconditional.
Our past is often hard to shake and even more difficult to reconcile. Might I suggest from one who gave up listening to an old playlist that did more harm than good: find value in the One who sees you, sings over you and gives a new life playlist for you to enjoy.
