Finding Hope Again

It’s a struggle getting through a day without drama in life. Stress from work, bills piling up, cars breaking down, working forced overtime when you have too much at home to catch up with as well. After being told repeatedly that you aren’t good enough, you find yourself believing it and becoming numb to what’s going on around you. Something awesome could happen and you miss it because of the numbness. I’m choosing to change a part of my life that I’ve known for 23 years now.

When I felt I was at my lowest point emotionally, I would avoid eye contact with anyone. I would spend my breaks sitting in my vehicle listening to the radio. I was trying to avoid listening to the drama everyone else wanted to stir up. And honestly, some days there were tears involved. I started listening to alternative Christian music on Spirit FM at 106.5 on my radio dial. And the artists voice was speaking to ME and ME alone. Sending me messages that God wanted me to hear. Every song I heard was telling me there was hope. The following paragraphs are my favorite artists right now and the songs that have moved me to change my life.

I’m beginning with one at the top of my list. TobyMac. I read about an interview with Toby on www.klove.com that states that “TobyMac’s new single Everything reminds us how we can see God’s love in everything, including every beat of our heart….” His song SpeakLife brought me to tears when I first heard it. It brought chills through my body. And the video is amazing too. “Yo it’s crazy, amazing; We can turn our heart through the words we say; Mountains crumble with every syllable; Hope can live or die. So speak life, speak

life. To the deadest darkest night; Speak life, speak life; When the sun won’t shine and you don’t know why; Look into the eyes of the broken-hearted; Watch them come alive as soon as you speak hope. You speak love, you speak; You speak life, oh oh oh oh oh

You speak life, oh oh oh oh oh."

When we choose to speak kinder words to everyone we encounter in our daily lives, it could have a ripple effect in changing the lives of others. They might choose to speak kinder to the next person they encounter, and the cycle will continue. There are so many more TobyMac songs that are uplifting. For example, I Just Need U, Love Broke Thru, Me Without You, City on Our Knees.

My next artist that has brought me to tears with the message in his song is Joseph Habedank. Just When You Thought lyrics start with “For every prodigal who’s thrown their whole life away; Feeling completely unworthy to mention His name; For every soul that’s been shattered by choices you’ve made; The Father still hears every prayer that a broken heart prays; Just when you thought you could somehow outrun Him; You’re chased down by mercy as He proves there’s nothing That His blood can’t cover; And His arms can’t reach to redeem; Just when you thought you exhausted His kindness; His gentle compassion pulls you out of hiding; Just when you thought that His grace somehow reached the end, You find you’re forgiven again.” I was having a very horrible day and was laying down to go to bed early. I couldn’t fall asleep because of the anger I was feeling. I turned on the Christian music and once I heard the lyrics to Just When You Thought I was overcome with tears and raised my hands up in the air to praise Jesus. It was such a powerful moment that I’ll never forget.

A few more on my list that have inspired me include Lauren Daigle You Say, Hawk Nelson Live Like You’re Loved, Colton Dixon Through All of It, Jasmine Murray Fearless, Danny Oakey Tell Your Heart to Beat Again, Citizen Way Wavewalker, Matthew West Broken Things and All In and Mended. Newsboys Gods Not Dead, Lacrae with Tori Kelly I’ll Find You and For King and Country Joy.

I could go on and on and on about what Christian music has done for my life. Music is medicine. As Lauren Daigle says in the song O’ Lord, “I will stand my ground where hope can be found.”

Esphasians 4:32: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.