Day 7: Where Music Gave Me Words

31 Days of Memory, Faith, and Becoming

Quotation:
“Sometimes, the words we later call poetry began first as a song in the heart.”

Words have a journey.

Sometimes, they begin as feelings we cannot fully explain. Sometimes, they begin as melodies, hymns, prayers, rhythms, or sounds that stay with us long after the music has ended. Before words become poetry, they may first live quietly in the heart as song.

As I reflect on my own journey, I remember the blessing of being part of the ECWA Chapel choir during my teenage years. That experience became one of the earliest places where my poetic inspiration began to take shape. In the choir, I did not only sing; I learned to listen. I learned rhythm, melody, harmony, discipline, and expression.

Singing in the choir and playing the trumpet opened something deep within me. Music gave movement to my thoughts. Hymns gave structure to my feelings. The sound of voices blending together, the breath behind the trumpet, the words of the hymns, and the spiritual atmosphere of worship all helped me discover language for what I carried inside.

Looking back now, I can see that the choir was more than a place of music. It was a place of formation. It gave me a poetic ear. It trained me to hear the beauty of words, the movement of lines, the rhythm of emotion, and the power of spiritual expression. Through songs, hymns, Psalms, and the lives of people around me, I began to find words to express my feelings poetically.

The Psalms also show this deep connection between music, poetry, and faith. They are songs, prayers, poems, and testimonies. In them, joy becomes praise, sorrow becomes lament, fear becomes trust, and memory becomes worship. Through sacred language, the soul finds a way to speak before God.

My upcoming book, The Life Between the Lines: Memory and the Journey of Becoming, grows from this understanding. It is a return to earlier words, poems, songs, memories, and experiences, now read through the light of faith, time, and gratitude.

Today, I invite you to think about the sounds, songs, people, and places that helped shape your own voice. What music formed you? What hymns stayed with you? What early experiences gave you language for your emotions, dreams, and prayers?

Sometimes, music gives us the words we need to understand our own becoming.

This is Day 7 of 31 Days of Memory, Faith, and Becoming, a month-long reflection series introducing themes from my upcoming book, The Life Between the Lines: Memory and the Journey of Becoming.

Reflection Question:
What songs, hymns, instruments, people, or worship experiences helped shape your voice and gave you language for your journey?

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for the gift of music, words, hymns, instruments, and sacred memories. Thank you for the people and places that helped shape my voice. Teach me to use words with wisdom, grace, and truth, and help me to recognize your presence in every season of my becoming. Amen.

Call to Action:
Follow the series and share today’s reflection with someone whose words, music, memories, and story are still becoming.