People use music for many aspects of life. Arguably, one of the most important places to have music is in the church; however, when the Christian church was first growing into a major religion, music was put into questioning. Pagans have used music before, and the leaders of the new upcoming world religion did not want to be anything but the complete opposite. Early Christians feared that God would be lost within music, and sadly, the early Christians were right to fear such a thing.
When someone sings, they experience an increase in endorphins as well as the hormone called oxytocin. All of these give a person a feeling of please, and they can “alleviate anxiety and stress” according to Time Magazine. This could be a natural process that God has given us where our bodies are rewarded by praising Him with songs. However, this natural process is abused like many other things God has given us. We lose sight of God when we are singing. We play songs so much that we become desensitized to the words. Artists release songs that have meaning, but we choose not to listen and comprehend the words. Of course, someone can say anything, but words do not have power until we mean them. Meaningless songs are a good as a blunt sword.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Let us try to remember this verse while we do everything. Even the tiniest of things can be used to glorify God. Let us also try to reignite the true meaning of why we sing in church in the first place. Worshipping is not to make us feel better with hormones and endorphins but to be honoring unto God, and God is the one to be our comfort.
Wow. Your post is very well expressed and convicting. I sometimes catch myself singing a song at church and not worshipping. When that happens, it makes me think and reevaluate what I am doing. The best thing I’ve found to do is to stop and read the words on the screen and understand them and contemplate them. It is very easy to sing without meaning. While it may be easy, it is detrimental to the soul. We (more like I) need to remember to sing with meaning and praise in worship.
ReplyDeleteWell I'm now at a second attempt at this comment thanks to my computer crashing. Madalyn, this post truly hits head on and should to a lot of people. Mainstream songs have taken a different overview to what the artist is trying to portray. Whether if its on the radio or in a church, we've taken words to what we believe is trying to be said and never fully understand what the song is hinting at.
ReplyDeleteYour post was very well written and I enjoyed reading it. With that said, I have to disagree with you. Worship reminds us of who God is and what He has done for us, causing us to fill with joy, happiness, excitement, and gratefulness. All of these emotions are fueled chemically as with any other emotion. I think it is an exaggeration to use the term "hormone junkies." Experiencing chemical rushes in our brain is at the foundation of being human and does not change the fact that worship can be an extremely emotional act.
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