Lay hold of My words with all your heart…Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or swerve from them.
Proverbs 4:4-5
If I become distracted by the environment when I’m writing, I morph into one of those anti-socials who insert ear plugs and tune out.
The message is clear: Do not disturb.
For those occasions, I’ve created a Spotify* playlist on my computer made up of select inspirational music, songs I truly enjoy, those that stir my soul or set the tone for what I’m writing. If you listened in, you might hear anything from Rocky’s training montage to Danny Gokey to The Last of the Mohicans.Â
Sometimes I lose interest in a song and have the option to skip past it. Ahhh. Unlimited skips.
Not so on my cell. My Spotify phone app limits me to no more than four skips, at which point, I’ll either silence the song or endure it to the end.
The Spotify PREMIUM package, on the other hand, offers ad-free listening and unlimited skips.
Skip, skip… skip.. skip, skip… skip.
Enticing.
Despite the PREMIUM option, I’ve chosen to keep my money and stick with the basic plan, silencing the volume on my cell if I choose to tune out.
Makes me wonder if an unlimited skips mentality might aptly describe the way I read scripture.
The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not be in want. Psalm 23:1
Yes, nice. I’ll keep listening…
He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. Psalm 23:2-3a
Reassuring. I’ll keep listening…
If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. Luke 9:23
Don’t really like that one. Skip…
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. I John 4:16a
Mmmm. Yes. I’ll keep listening…
Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds… James 1:2
No, no. Skip…
Love always protects…love never fails. I Corinthians 13:7, 8
Better. I’ll keep listening…
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! I John 3:1a
Wonderful. I’ll keep listening…
He forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, He redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, He satisfies your desires with good things. Psalm 103:3-5a
Yes, yes…and yes!
By God’s design, the human brain can function with unlimited skips past the sounds of conviction, but the cost to avoid His Spirit-breathed wisdom might be more than I can pay.
Don’t know when the unlimited skips mentality developed, but awareness of the tendency is a good thing.
Proverbs 4:5 warns not to swerve past (er, skip) His wisdom, but to Lay hold of My words with all your heart. (vs 4)
How about you?
Do you limit your selection to hear only what’s pleasing and easy-on-the ears? Or approach holy text with a heart and mind ready to receive?
Join me in 2019 as I tune in to the lovely things as well as the hard truths of God’s word.
Afterall…
The Lord is my strength and my song. Exodus 15:2a
*Spotify: a digital music service that allows users to remotely source millions of different songs from a laptop, smartphone or other device.