Garbage In, Garbage Out

My mother-in-law often says, “Garbage in, garbage out.”  I’ve found this to be quite true, and I realized recently how much garbage I’ve been taking in.

Confession #1:  I listen to “secular” music.

As a Christian, I’d love to be able to say that I only listen to Christian music.  Especially living in Central California, where there is an abundance of Christian radio.  However, I love music of all kinds (except hard core rap and country - shudder).

Music affects me in such a profound, visceral way.  Maybe because my father is a singer, and I grew up hearing his deep, beautiful voice singing traditional Armenian songs.  Music moves my soul and evokes so much emotion in me that life would be unpalatable and bleak without it.

We bought a new car a few months ago (a minivan – aren’t you jealous?) and it came with three months of satellite radio.  Jayson and I have been enjoying this immensely (Jay = channel 23/Grateful Dead; Me = channel 19/Elvis).

And so, although I have a terrible singing voice, I sing all the time, usually along with whatever I’m listening to on the radio in the car.  Adele, Pitbull, Hot Chelle Rae, Foster the People, Maroon 5, Alexandra Stan, and, of course, (don’t judge me) Britney Spears.

I’m singing along, “I-I-I wanna go-o-o all the way-ay-ay something something the night… I-I-I wanna show-ow-ow all the something something something through my mind…”

What words am I missing?  I looked them up.  These are the lyrics:

I wanna go all the way

Taking out my freak tonight

I wanna show all the dirt

I got running through my mind

Hmmm.  Wonder what she’s talking about?  And I’m actually singing these words?  Garbage in, garbage out.  Oh, right, I didn’t really THINK about it – I’m just innocently (and ignorantly) singing along.  Right?

No excuses from me.  Although the only dirt I got running through my mind is the dirt in my house I need to clean, the dirt on my car I need to wash, and the dirt on James’s face that seems to be perpetually there.

Confession #2:  I will probably continue to listen to “secular” music.

I have to be honest.  I like some of it.  I don’t want to cut it out completely.  Do I have to?  If it’s not FOR God, then it’s necessarily AGAINST God because it doesn’t PRAISE Him.  I guess I know that ultimately I should apply this principle to everything in my life, but I’m either too lazy or too undisciplined or too spiritually immature or too weak to do this.

I will try to avoid Britney’s song, at the very least.  Actually, I also cut off Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks,” as those lyrics are disturbing (All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you’d better run, better run, outrun my gun.  All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you’d better run, better run, faster than my bullet.)  These are words I would never say, nor do I want my children to hear them coming from my mouth.

Time to be a little more aware of what I take in, and what I put out.  Sorry, Brit!

OK, I’m getting off my shoebox now.