I think everyone gets songs stuck in their heads sometimes. If it’s a great song, it can motivate you through the day. If it’s a bad song, it can annoy you to no end.
Music is powerful. It teaches us and influences us. This is why Justin and I are intentional with the songs we sing at church. We want church music to teach you truths about God and for those truths to get “stuck in our heads.”
I think music is all the more powerful with kids and teens. I can still remember Bible verses from my childhood that were put to song. Those verses are permanently stuck in my head, and I’m thankful for it! I also listened to a lot of Petra music, and though they had some odd fashion choices as 80s and 90s Christian rockers, their music was rooted in Scripture and was fun. I can also remember some pretty terrible songs that I wish I could forget (Britney Spears was popular when I was a teen.)
What songs are your kids hearing? What truths are getting permanently stuck in their heads? You may or may not be a great singer yourself, but singing to kids at bedtime is one of my favorite ways to teach my kids good songs. Michelle and I have songs that we regularly sing to them so that spiritual truths will stick. I recommend introducing kids to many of the timeless hymns that have endured for decades and centuries. These are songs that they will still be singing in 10, 20, 30 years, perhaps even at their deathbed. My girls know “It Is Well with My Soul,” “Amazing Grace,” and “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” and the truths of those songs are powerful! And three-year old Sam’s favorite songs are, “You Never Let Go,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and also “Amazing Grace.” It warms my heart to hear my kids singing these songs, knowing they will help the truths of God stick with them.
So, think about what your kids are listening to, and help focus their ears on truth. Don’t be afraid to sing to them or sing with them! Bring them to our church worship services and sing to God together with them! And if they are hearing a lot of the culture’s popular music, take some time to sit with them and dissect the message of it.
“They that pray in the family do well; they that pray and read the Scriptures do better; but they that pray, and read, and sing do best of all.” -Matthew Henry, who lived from 1662-1714.