Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

I love music. I cannot carry a tune, but I still love to sing and wish I had a voice. I believe that those who can sing have a most precious form of worshipping our God. Music is just good for my soul. I can listen to just about anything, but I tend to listen to a lot of country and contemporary Christian. Lately my two favorite songs are shockingly from those genres; "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" by Tracy Lawrence and "The Only Thing" by Ronnie Freeman.

Both songs are so applicable to my life. I feel as though relating songs to your life is really cheesy, but so is blogging so here goes. "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" by Tracy Lawrence is just one of those feel good songs. I love the beat and my favorite line is, "Never stop to think 'What's in it for me?' or 'It's way to far.' They just show on up with their big ol' hearts. You find out who your friends are." Daily I am amazed by the Lord's greatness, but lately I have seen His majesty through my friends. My friends are like no other, I feel as though sometimes they can move mountains with their words. They each have a unique way loving me. I am so blessed for the many ways they encourage me. They are all unique and bring a special perspective to the table; they give me such joy. My friends speak truth to my heart and sanity to my mind. They are life giving and allow me to flourish in my strengths. I have been writing recently about the strengths of my friends and how they enrich my life. I took several words to describe the "bests" in my life: they are my examples, they are my protectors, they are my biggest fans and cheerleaders, they are sweet and have such gentle spirits, they are my heros, and my sanity. They are amazing!

My other favorite song to sing along to right now is Ronnie Freeman's, "The Only Thing." My favorite verse reads:

If you could walk the hallways of my heart
And see things as they really are
I wonder if you might be surprised
Seeing faded walls of pride and fear
Rooms I've filled with faithless tears
And corners where I've stood in compromise
But you'd see the work His grace has done
You'd know just how far I've come

I think I love this verse for its reality. I am quick to recognize my outward sin. I repent quickly for lies, harsh words, things that are evident to those around me, but so slow to recognize the deep sin of my heart. I confess I am a fearful and prideful human being, and one rarely fearful of the one thing I should be, the Lord. My heart is often filled with ugly sin and I am repeatedly brought to tears as Satan uses my fear to break me. I argued, begged and pridefully told the Lord how my plan was better. It has only been in the recent weeks how I have seen His grace squash my fears, and I have learned to trust in Him alone. I refused to trust Jesus and feared until I was literally sick. Now I see the greatness of trusting in his sovereignty. His plan is so much better, it's amazing how far I have come. It is true, "The only thing that's good in me is Jesus."