Music for the Soul

Music is a universal language. It’s present in every culture, people group and geographical location on this planet. When people are sad they sing, when they are happy, still they sing, when soldiers need courage to endure difficult drills in training they will sing their way through it. What is it about music that evokes our emotions, soothes our pain and fosters a sense of hope? I can’t quite say. All I know is that it’s a real thing.

More recently shopping malls and other businesses have learnt that playing some sort of background music has an effect on consumer behavior. It seems happy music puts shoppers in a more likely mood to spend. On the other extreme, you might have also heard of two young men who shot fellow students at Columbine High School in the U.S after repeatedly listening to heavy metal music that was filled with lyrics on murder and hate. That said we all know you cannot have a complete church service in most religions without singing or some sort of music involved at a certain point. Who can imagine a wedding or party without music? But then again what would a funeral be without singing?

Our appreciation of music just like of language, is innate. Nobody really has to teach us, we somehow learn to enjoy it albeit in different forms and styles which vary from culture to culture and generation to generation. In music we find our deepest expressions of love, faith, pain, you name it. A few words put into song carry with them untold depths of our most secret and intimate desires and feelings. It’s for this reason that I believe music is a very strong way to communicate our love and affection to God. The language of music can be used to Worship God in a way that is universal and yet unique to every culture, people and tongue.

Even though not all of us are gifted musically in the sense that we play a musical instrument or sing, we can all enjoy the gift and beauty of music and use it in worship as we express our love and joy to the one who loves our souls.

Staying the Course

Growing up, I used to be part of a youth group that met at a church in Bugolobi. We had meetings every weekday in the afternoons. My closest friends were part of this group and so besides it being a church event, it was an opportunity to catch up and hang out with my buddies during the school breaks. My friends lived within Bugolobi so it was relatively easy for them to get to the church where we’d meet during the week. I lived a fair distance away from Bugolobi so I had to take public transport to get there. Being a student, I depended entirely on my Mom for money to pay my transport fare but because it was every day of the week it eventually became a strain on her since she wasn’t formally employed and was barely getting by herself but like any other good Mom she’d always manage to scrape around for some money to help with my transport costs.

It got to a point where she’d only have enough money for about 2 out of the 5 days for my church meetings. I tried attending only 2 days a week but I felt like I was missing out so much that I one day decided to dare to walk all the way from my home in Nsambya to the church in Bugolobi. I remember the first day I planned my walk, I had no idea how long it would take me to reach but I had planned out a hike route in my head. I used to take strolls around my home area so I knew a few short cuts that led to Mukwano Road which connected to 7th Street in Industrial Area, then to 5th Street and eventually Mulwana Road which ended up in the Bugolobi Bungalows and eventually at the church. The first day I set out to walk I felt embarrassed because I thought everybody knew I was walking because I didn’t have money to pay for a taxi. I remember feeling like my legs would give way when I got to 7th street but by then I was nearly half way, just no way would I turn and head back home having gone that far! So I soldiered on one step at a time, taking in the view of the different businesses and the cars and people passing by. After a while I could see the turn to Mulwana Road and that gave me fresh hope and energy because I knew I was almost there. My momentum picked up as I got excited. Mulwana Road was another long stretch but you can clearly see Luthuli Avenue from the start of Mulwana Road at 5th Street Industrial Area and that kept me going because the end was in sight. Once you get to Luthuli Avenue you are literally in Bugolobi.

That was the first of what became very many treks to and from my home in Nsambya to attend church in Bugolobi. I didn’t always have to walk because there were days when my Mom had some money to spare. On many occasions, I chose to walk to church then take the taxi back so that instead of having transport for 2 days it would turn into transport for 4 days. Why am I telling you all this? Good question! Very simple answer; all that walking taught me that if you keep putting one foot in front of another long enough in a specific direction, you will eventually get to your destination. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, as long as you don’t quit and keep the end in sight, if you stay the course, you will arrive at your intended destination. So I would like to encourage you to keep on walking towards whatever it is that God has for you. Map out a route and start on the journey one step at a time. When your feet get tired which I know they will, remember how far you’ve come and refuse to quit! You are always nearer to your destination than when you first begun.