The Power of Music

Have you ever listened to a song and all of a sudden an image of a past memory pops into your mind?  This happens to me all the time!  It could be good or bad memories, but it's always an image of what I was doing at a point when I listened to the song before.  I love it!  It is like a memory book every time I turn on the radio or Pandora.

What I have observed recently, however, is that Disney music and any church music brings out the happiest, most uplifting, and most powerful memories and emotions--especially church music.  And I especially love the cleanliness of most every Disney song.  It reminds me of the scripture Doctrine and Covenants section 25 verse 12, which reads as follows:

"For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads."



Music is one of the few things that can penetrate nearly every person's soul, but we need to be careful because it can have a negative affect on us also.  Every time I read that scripture, I take a mental check at the popular songs I've been listening to and ask if it is a song of the righteous.  Most of the songs currently on the Top 40 are not righteous, and you will lose the companion of the Holy Ghost when listening to it.

My goal this week is to pay closer attention to the music I listen to and choose only that which is wholesome and good.  If I can't listen to anything good, I think that turning it off altogether is a good option as well, don't you think?

Service Helps

Henry B. Eyring, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the time he gave his A Child of God talk, spoke of many different characteristics that he saw in "great learners."  The topic very much relates to each of us college students working hard to learn here, at Brigham Young University.  One of the characteristics that he lists definitely hit home when said, "great learners help other people."

Of course, I am sure he meant helping other people academically; however, I have come to realize the power service has on study habits.  My brother just recently came home from his mission in Zurich, Switzerland, and his major is a much more difficult major than my own.  I often feel sorry for the work load he has, so I make him breakfast and dinner nearly every day, hoping to ease his burden.  At first when I started all of this cooking, I thought I would never have enough time for my studies, but the complete opposite is true!  This semester has been so much easier for me to focus on my readings, which saves me from needing more time for my studies.  I truly believe it is a blessing that comes from the service that I provide for my brother, and those who give service not only help others, but they also help themselves.