Christian Music Buoys My Spirits

Music is very important to me. Playing music in the darkroom--one with chemistry, an enlarger and photo paper--as a teen used to be a big part of what made the whole experience so meditative. It remains part of my activities today, from writing this blog to soaking up a scenic spot. As well as the usual suspects like “sad girl” band Mazzy Star, grunge queen Courtney Love’s band Hole, and—you guessed it—Tori Amos, I would also play Bob Dylan and Crosby, Stills, and Nash, who I don’t listen to very much anymore.

 Recently, however, my taste in music has taken a new turn. My sister, Laura, got me into Christian music. It’s all she listens to. What happened is that she posted the video to Katy Nichole’s song “Healing Now” on Facebook. Nichole—and Christian music—had me with her line “I thank God/for His love and for the therapy/I thank God there’s pills for my anxiety…” I love this because a lot of people think of Christians as opposing psychiatry and psychiatric medications. But the fact is that we’re not all like that. And Katy Nichole is proving it to the world. (By the way, people who oppose psychiatry come from just about every religious affiliation and political persuasion in the world.)

 I could write a whole article about the aspects of Christianity that I like and oppose, but this isn’t that article. Listening to Christian music makes me feel really connected to Jesus. I’ve started praying a lot since I began listening to Christian music, and it really buoys my spirits. This is the part where you say, “Oh, so you’re saying praying works better than antidepressants?” Not at all—the two are not mutually exclusive! It’s like this: no one claims falling in love treats depression the way medication does, but being in love does (hopefully) make you happier and supports other measures to combat depression.

 Here’s something to tick off hardcore Christians, though. I was just talking with my Spiritual Director about how listening to Christian music is a more spiritual experience for me than going to church! As always, her response offered non-judgmental caring and compassion.

 To get back to Katy Nichole, who is now firmly established as one of my favorite artists, she is quite the mental health activist, with her music, her reels, and more. I really admire her for speaking up for the mental health community the way she does—and I appreciate how her art brings me close to Jesus.

 While Laura listens exclusively to Christian music, I don’t. Yes, rest assured I still listen to Tori Amos! My Spiritual Director suggested that maybe Jesus is waiting for me in other music, too. After all, I wrote this article while listening to the ‘90’s alternative band the Sundays, which had nothing to do with Christian pop!