What songs do you hope your children sing?
My daughter, Hayley, loves music. Throughout the day, we will have music playing in the background. Surprisingly, she enjoys and even feels comfort when we sing to her. Robyn, my wife, has a very soothing voice, but I sound like a frog trying to perform country music in distress.
As a new parent, you attempt to create a healthy environment for your child — meaning I read lyrics of songs more closely than I have in my life. It’s not just about the negative lyrics. I hope the songs Hayley hears communicate to her what we value as a family.
Easter occurred near Hayley’s birth. We sat in our living room playing together, and I heard these lyrics:
Oh, we’re free, free
Forever we’re free
Come join the song
Of all the redeemed
— Death Was Arrested by North Point InsideOut
Those lyrics flooded that moment with Hayley. Death Was Arrested shares the story of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection. That Sunday, we would celebrate Easter. We would sing the song “of all the redeemed” together. The song of the Gospel sung thousands of years earlier by followers of Jesus. The song my grandparents and parents sang along with me. Now, I would share this song with my little girl.
The songs we sing to our children and the next generation matter. I pray each day that Hayley would experience the Gospel, knowing Jesus. The songs sharing the Gospel keep us as parents, family members, small group leaders, and influencers with the end in mind — each child experiencing life-change in Jesus Christ.
Today, what songs will you sing with your children? May they reflect the radical Good News of the Gospel.
Photo by Matt Botsford
Watch Death Was Arrested below.