Thursday, June 7, 2012

If It's in Your Bones, It's in Your Bones--Ephesians 5:18-20

Keith Richards, the longtime guitarist for the Rolling Stones, is the poster boy for celebrity excess. Since the 1960s he has, by his own admission, used just about every drug from marijuana to heroin, without apparently thinking too much about it. He looks like he's lived a hard life, and one wonders how he's managed to stay alive, given all the abuse his body has taken.

Well, maybe it's the music. He once said, "Music is a language that doesn't speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it's in your bones, it's in your bones." Maybe the music has kept his bones alive.

Music is very therapeutic, of course. Singing especially has incredible health benefits. It forces us to breathe deeply, which oxygenates our brains and other parts of our bodies, lifting our mood and lowering our blood pressure.

I serve a congregation that is housed in a beautiful, historic facility. Yet one of my favorite places is the men's restroom. Surrounded by tile and porcelain, there is nothing to absorb sound, and when I sing there, I sound wondrous, to me at least. Singing energizes me and makes me feel alive.

Apparently, singing is an important component in spiritual health also. The Apostle Paul writes, "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."  Want to be filled with God's Spirit? Sing some songs, spiritual ones if you know them. It will calm you and give you an enhanced awareness that this is God's world and God is with you.

So find a deserted restroom. If you are brave, don't worry whether it's deserted or not. Just sing.

   

No comments:

Post a Comment