I listen to music often, I appreciate good music, and I love listening to songs on repeat. But most often, music is just there to fill the silence in my bedroom, accompany me when I drive, or drown out the noise when I work at Starbucks on Sunday afternoons.

But what I’ve found is that when I actually take the time to truly listen to a song, I can find joy, encouragement and inspiration. Music has the power to warm a soul, clarify jumbled emotions, challenge stubbornness, and give hope. How cool is that? I especially love songs crafted from Scripture. These songs have an even more wonderful ability to soothe my heartaches, remind me Whose I am, and give me a hope for the day to come.

Your assignment: Listen to music with your eyes closed. That’s right, eyes closed. Don’t cheat, keep ‘em closed. Now, turn on the song of your choice and listen, just listen.

Note: If you find yourself loosing track of time, that’s a good thing.

I believe it’s important to set time aside to become reenergized, to simplify our lives, and to be reminded of what is good and beautiful about life. Madeleine L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, wrote, “I’ve long since stopped feeling guilty about taking being time; it’s something we all need for our spiritual health, and often we don’t take enough of it.” Right?

Enjoy listening. Class is dismissed!

- ashley

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> read more lessons in inspiration posts by ashley here

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