Living After the Manner of Happiness: Music

I love music.  Music somehow transcends the struggle we often feel in trying to verbally express our emotions. It can trigger memories of people and places and experiences.  I love it.  Music is so powerful.

President Benson said, "Inspiring music may fill the soul with heavenly thoughts, move one to righteous action, or speak peace to the soul."  I love the hymns of the Church.  One of my very favorite hymns is "Press Forward Saints."  I have a memory of singing that song one Sunday in Church when I was like 9 or so and just absolutely being filled with the Spirit, though at the time I didn't understand that what I was feeling was the Spirit.  I was just completely filled with feelings of hope and peace and happiness.

Because music can influence so strongly our thoughts and emotions we need to be careful of the music we choose to listen to.  This picture poses great questions we can ask ourselves in determining if the music we are listening to is uplifting:

 

Music can invite the Spirit more quickly than almost anything I know.   I am grateful for music and the joy and happiness it brings into my life.  And as we seek to listen to uplifting, inspiring music (and that doesn't just have to be Church music), I know we will experience more happiness and joy in our lives.