It was an idea from a friend of mine. It had been a tough couple of weeks and I was feeling stressed and aggravated. I was venting to about the various struggles and hang-ups I'd been going through, and my friend suggested that I only listen to Christian music for a while and see if it would help me get to a better place with things. I was honestly a little skeptical (I'm someone who prides myself on having a very broad taste in music), but I agreed and said I'd try it for one month. I didn't have very high expectations for what was to come; don't get me wrong, I love Christian music, but I didn't really know if I would enjoy narrowing all the music I listen to down to one genre. "What about when I run? And I only get one Christian radio station on my drive back home from college, how is this going to work?" These (and many others) were the thoughts I had going into this, and while it might sound like I was overthinking it a little, you have to understand that music is a big deal to me.

So I set my goal: for one month, anytime I could control what music I was listening to it would be Christian, and I began this challenge. I didn't really know what to expect; I thought it might help with my attitude and put me in a better mood, but other than that I had no idea. I started noticing small changes though, especially in the way I thought about God throughout the day. When I was walking to class, I would listen to Christian music and thinking about God and how I might use the day for Him. I found myself reflecting on certain song lyrics and what I could take away from them.

Cutting out secular music gave me an opening to fill my mind with something more meaningful. Colossians 3:2 says, "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things." I discovered a new meaning to this verse during that month, and it was wonderful. I saw how attainable it is to set your mind on things above when you choose to listen to God's truth over worldly things. Don't get me wrong, I still listen to secular music after completing the challenge, but my perspective to it has changed. I have become much more selective about what secular music I listen to because I have realized the impact of what I listen to has on what I think about throughout the day.