Listening to music is one of my favorite things to do when I'm alone. I love it, whether it's the radio or my favorite CD. When I am in my car with no one else, I like to crank the volume up really loud and sing to my favorite songs. One thing about music is that it comes in all varieties. There are different genres with different beats played by different musicians using all kinds of instruments to create what we hear through the speakers. Since music is so diverse, not all songs have uplifting or positive messages.

It's important to monitor what our ears listen to, so that we aren't feeding our minds negativity. Seriously, the music we hear can have a greater impact on our lives than we know.

A few years back, I went to a Casting Crowns concert where I heard the lead singer say something that really stuck with me.

He said, "The music you listen to is either who you are or who you want to be."

The more I thought about this statement, the more I understood it to be true. If you look at many of the rappers and secular singers today who talk about sex or drugs in their music, they often partake in those activities. I've had many friends who used to live godly lives now living more sinfully, and I bet you can guess what kind of content was found in the music they listened to.

We might think the words in a song won't affect our behavior, but the more we hear about negative content in a song, the more likely it's going to stick in our minds and soon express itself through our actions. Just think about people who curse a lot. They didn't start off that way. Somewhere in their lifetime they heard other people using that language so much that they eventually picked it up themselves. This is why it's important to check what goes into our ears when we listen to music. Songs with positive messages will encourage us to live in a godly manner.

The best thing about Christian music is that it always has an uplifting message! I know sometimes people don't like listening to Christian music because they think it's all slow, sappy worship music, but that is not true. Christian music by itself comes in all forms. I am a rocker myself and love that there are several Christian rock bands out there. Skillet, Red, Thousand Foot Krutch, and Falling Up just to name a few. There is something to enjoy for everyone in the realm of Christian music. Rappers and hip-hoppers will enjoy the sounds of Toby Mac, Grits, LeCrae, and KJ-52. Looking for more pop, there's Superchick, Newsboys, and Casting Crowns.

I'm not saying you can't listen to anything other than Christian music. It's just important to weed out negative music and keep our ears open to what's pure, holy, and true. So next time you turn on the radio or pop in your favorite CD, ask yourself the question, "What does this music say about me?"

Sarah Smith grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with an English degree. She loves being a child of God and serving in missions. She has gone on trips to Germany and London and served a recent term of five and half months in London as a missionary intern. She recently applied to seminary and is looking forward to attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the fall to study Christian Counseling.