Tuesday, February 8, 2011

What I Put In Stays In

Every once in a while, I will wake up with a contemporary Christian song in my head. I love that. It just makes my whole day. It is as if the Lord were saying, "Good morning, Nancy." The funny thing is, I may have heard the song several days ago at midweek service, on Sunday morning, or ever several weeks ago. I love the creative new songs and they are something good that I put in my spirit and my mind.

I also love old ballads and lately, I have had a hunger for old show tunes. I got the Broadway soundtrack of Oliver from the Internet recently. I used to have the record, but with no player to play my records on, I got rid of them all. Now I am playing a game of catch-up, trying to get just the best of the ones I had which are available in CD form. Well, I was so excited about Oliver that I played it repeatedly. I realized that I could still sing my favorite songs, "Where Is Love?." "Consider Yourself," "I'd Do Anything For You," and "Who will buy?." Those songs are just so pretty or catchy that I could sing them over and over.

My husband got me an old Robert Goulet CD for Christmas. It has some great old tunes. Some are old show tunes like "If Ever I Would Leave You." This song talks about the various charms of a woman during the different seasons. It has some of the richest romantic lyrics I have ever heard. This song from Camelot goes, "I've seen how you sparkle when fall nips the air, I know you in autumn and I must be there." Gorgeous.

Now it occurred to me that as I was singing the song from Camelot that I was singing ahead of Robert. I knew the lyrics, but only a step ahead of him. I didn't know that I knew them. I had stuffed that song in my mind and it remained there dormant, just waiting for me to get it started again. The same thing happened when I started singing "The Twelfth Of Never" to my Ty. It all just came out.

I realized anew how important it was to put good things in my mind, because they are there for a very long time. I got a book from the library in the children's section. It had woods and looked mysterious. I liked that and the cover pulled me in. But after reading the back and the end flaps, I didn't feel that it would be good to read. It dealt with the kind of magic that I didn't want to put into my mind. I could have started it and quit, but better not to get too into the story. This may seem prudish in a children's book, but I have had to quit several of this type. My point is that there is also bad stuff I don't want to put in my mind. I remember violence from movies from long ago, so I try hard not to go to that type of movie.

It's my choice what I put in my mind. I would like to do as the apostle Paul says in Phil. 4:8, put in what is noble, just, pure, and of virtue. I'll do that because with me, what goes in seems to stay in.

7 comments:

  1. This is so true. What we put in our minds, we can't ever truly take out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree 100%. It's amazing what runs around our brains--I only want the good stuff in there. My grandma's favorite hymn was What a Friend We Have in Jesus, and the lyrics pop into my head all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your posts always make me smile and I love that what you write does that:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. An excellent point. It all goes along the lines of "Garbage In, Garbage Out."

    And as a side note, I own that Oliver Twist CD! In fact, my iPod is full of old musical soundtracks. How about "Annie," do you have that one?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Nancy -

    Right on! Guard your heart for out of it come the issues of life.

    I love the old show tunes. The Sound of Music is my favorite. Just thinking about them makes me happy.

    Blessings,
    Susan :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. You're right. As we were saying in my Women's Bible study: garbage in equals garbage out. You are really shaped by what you let in your brain.

    ReplyDelete
  7. When I was 15, I played the Widow Corny in Oliver! How I love that music!! Thanks for reminding me, dear.

    Mostly now I listen to worship of Jesus. It lifts me above my aches and worries, into His arms of grace.

    ReplyDelete