It was an extremely difficult task, trying to narrow down all of my favorite, meaningful songs into a simple, 10 song list. Music has been a consistent, important part of my life for as long as I can remember. What people might not know about me is that I have a song that reminds me of every single good thing, bad thing, or person that has impacted me. There are songs that I have listened to in my life and because of that song, I have been changed. It is so important to keep those songs in your heart, listen to them when you need to, and to pass them on to others so they can be impacted as well. With that being said, here is the list of 10 songs that have changed my life... Pass them on.
1. Sweetly Broken | Jeremy Riddle
I was practically born on a church pew and so songs about the cross and the Gospel were always the background of my life. I love some of those songs, but they didn't change my life the way this song did. I was thirteen the first time I heard this song and I do believe that was the first time I wept over what Christ did for me on the cross. It still boggles my mind that "He became sin who knew no sin, that we might become His righteousness." Different song. Same message. It was at this point in my life that I truly decided to follow Christ without turning back.
"What a priceless gift, undeserved life, have I been given through Christ crucified. You called me out of death, You called me into life."
2. The Tide | The Spill Canvas
I was sixteen or seventeen the first time I fell in love with this song: I cried and cried, finding myself in each of the three children. I remember thinking, "I could have written this song. This is how I have felt my entire life." I put my computer on max volume and I laid on my living floor and I felt every beat. Everything about that moment was completely real to me. I felt broken and depressed and for once in my life, I faced my emotions head on and dealt with them.
Whenever I go back and listen to it again, I am always surprised about how it makes me feel. This song is perfection.
"Heaven's not a place that you go when you die.. It's that moment in life when you actually feel alive, so live for the moment now. And take this advice, life by every word: Love is completely real so forget anything that you have heard."
3. Alive Again | Matt Maher
This song is not well known, but it is brilliant. My head counselor at camp sung this song day in and day out, and I still listen to it on repeat every once in awhile. This song transports me back to New Mexico and I love it so much.
"I was looking outside, as if love would ever want to hide. I'm finding I was wrong. I'm breathing in and breathing out, I'm alive again."
4. Starry Night | Chris August
Chris August is AMAZING and I just love his heartfelt, worshipful description of God. This song simply talks about the power of God, His Creation, and His love for us. I give Ally Romine the credit for this song making the list, because when I was a senior in high school and she was an eighth grader - she sang it, and it changed me forever. Personally, I think the simple phrase at the end says it all: "He is everything." This song is amazing. Listen to it.
"I'm giving it all to the only Son who gave me hope when I had none."
5. Everything | Lifehouse
When I was younger, I learned what it meant to have a relationship with God for the first time. I was afraid to go to hell, and so I accepted Him. As I got older, I realized that having a relationship with God is about so much more than a "get out of hell free card." This song is about the difficult times, and trust me, I've had plenty of those. God has carried me up so many mountains, and this song was a huge part of most of those long treks. From self image issues, to suicidal thoughts, to idolatry; He has been there. When I hear this song, I remember all of the times God has saved me. This song reminds me that nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, is better than having a relationship with God. In that moment, when I threw off my old self, Christ began to make me new again. He began to make me whole. That is a very big deal.
"How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you? Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?"
6. 10,000 Reasons | Matt Redman
It was my second summer at Broken Arrow Bible Ranch the first time I heard this song. It was one month after my mom had passed away and I wasn't even sure if I still new how to worship God. I really wanted to worship Him and to bless His name, and so I did. I think this was the first time that praise was my response to pain. God spoke to my soul in that moment. He said, "You are my daughter. I am still with you. I am still good and I am still God." And so I worshipped, and I will continue to do so until I draw my last breath on this earth. And in Heaven, I will continue to worship. And I am excited about it; because honestly, there is nothing better than singing praises to my Savior. This song is the first song that I worshipped to after my mom died. It's *that* song.
"Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes."
7. Christ is Risen | Matt Maher, Spoken Word | David Bowden
About three or four years ago, my husband and I had just begun dating.. and we were long distance. I had heard this song before, but one day, he called me and he said, "I want to sing a song to you." I never really took the time to really *listen* to these words until he sang them to me. I realized I had never made it until the end of the song which meant I had totally missed the intense, passionate breakdown of what the resurrection of Jesus Christ really means for the church. This time around, with my boyfriend singing it to me, I finally understood. And I am so glad that I did. This song is pretty much one of my favorite songs of all time and I wouldn't have known that if it wasn't for the incredibly talented, Godly man that I am now married to. This song is heartfelt, beautiful, and triumphant. Everything about it is perfect. It brings tears to my eyes every single time I listen to it, and I wouldn't celebrate Easter without it. There is nothing greater than the power of Christ. The fact that Christ is risen from the dead means simply this, "O, death where is your sting? O, hell, where is your victory?" No matter what else is going on in your life, JESUS IS ALIVE. There is nothing better than that. Not a single thing.
"Christ is risen from the dead; we are one with Him again."
8. Until the Day I Die | Story of the Year
Part of the reason why this song is so important to me is because my mom passed away four years ago when I was nineteen years old and this song always makes me think of her. The song itself isn't what really matters, but rather, how it makes me feel. This song represents a time in my life when I was angry at my mom because she died.. and even though she had no control over it, she still left me to figure out the rest of my life on my own. I think the anger in this song is really interesting and something I can relate to on a very deep level. This track resonates deep in my soul because I truly would have raced the clock to save my mom's life, and I would give anything to have her here with me again. Besides that, it's just a really great song that I would highly recommend to anyone. I love it.
"You remind me of the times I knew who I was."
9. Unwritten | Natasha Bedingfield
This is definitely one of my favorite songs for so many reasons. I play this song ALL the time: when it rains, when I'm writing, when I'm sad, when I'm doing dishes, when I'm happy, etc. Whenever it would come on the radio, I would always roll my windows down and sing at the top of my lungs. It's so beautiful. For awhile, I was embarrassed to share that this was one of my favorite songs, but it definitely is. I was driving by myself in a thunderstorm the first time I truly listened to this song. I pulled over at a deserted gas station, turned the volume up to 60, and danced in the rain. This song is optimistic, colorful, and has a powerful message underneath the catchy music. This is YOUR story, go tell it. No one can make our choices for us, and Natasha Bedingfield hit the nail on the head when she said, "the rest is still unwritten."
"Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in. No one else can speak the words on your list."
10. Before the Throne | Shane and Shane
Shane and Shane are simply amazing. They do worship in the most heartbreaking way. My husband used this song when he lead worship in Mongolia two summers ago and it has had a special place in my heart since that moment. This song is impactful, graceful, and so, so beautiful. The fact that God sees me and forgives me of my sin is unbelievable. I heard this song for the first time in a moment when I had really screwed up, and the message is clear, "God will forgive you anyway. He loves you anyway." I was broken over my sin, and God forgave me. That was the context in which I heard this song for the first time. "When Satan tempts me to despair, upward I look and see Him there, that made an end to all my sin." I love this picture so much. In the image of Christ on the cross, Jesus took my sin as His own and His Father pardoned me. Unbelievable.
"My name is graven on His hands, my name is written on His heart.. No tongue can bid me thence depart."
