Cassettes

Back in the day I had quite a collection of cassette tapes. Heavy metal was my favorite. 😊 Right out of high school I got an amazing job. You must know that once I graduated I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I had a seasonal job that lasted 3 months.....then I got a job for 1 month and quit cause it was not a good fit for me. My mom was upset. She thought I was going to not work....so one day I went out and didn't come home until I found a job.

This job was a dream! It was In a music store. With my love of songs and music at the time, it was ideal for me. I loved that job so much that it never felt like work. I got along well with my coworkers too. We all hung out outside of work and my boss and I looked so much alike that people thought we were sisters. Every paycheck I got I let myself buy a few tapes for my collection with a discount! (Even better when you can save money getting your favorite things....right?)

Remembering back to 1991.....I worked with a guy who loved heavy metal music more than me. Ozzy Osborne was his favorite. In the evenings, after the boss left for the day, he would put Ozzy CDs on for us as background music in the store. I found out he went to Christian school all his life. I remember asking him about religion. I asked how Christianity is right and all other religions were wrong. His answer had me perplexed......he said.."Christians are right, just because they are". He had no reason....no explaination for my wondering mind. And I found it strange that he knew about Jesus yet had a  love for Ozzy. This was confusing to me.....but then I thought if Christians can still listen to heavy metal, maybe it's worth checking in to. I needed more information. It wasn't this coworker's fault he didn't know the answer to my question. Maybe he wasn't sure himself and didn't know how to respond to me.

Truth be told.....I worked that fun job for 3 years. I learned a lot of music, genres, and lyrics. I have knowledge of these things still today. Music and songs are locked in my mind. I can put a song with an event or a memory. That's fun, but it can be painful too. Some songs are not so good in my memory. They are associated with a painful time or a bad memory. I try to stay away from them, but
if I'm in a store and it plays overhead......I'm stuck. On the flip side.....many, many songs have a good effect on my memory. Pleasant things come to mind as I hear the familiar tune. It's all a matter of
perspective, I guess.

Some of the cassettes I bought way back then are still in my possession. They weren't replaced by CDs....and they may not even work anymore. They are still there in my basement reminding me of a life I once knew. A life of youth and parties and friends. A time of fun and no responsibility. One thing I've come to realize.....the songs of that time can remind me of times in my life that I didn't know Jesus. This makes me smile now because Even though I'm not where I need to be, I'm not where I once was either. Our God saw fit to pursue me and draw me to himself. This fact alone still boggles my mind.....but it's God and who can argue with Him or His ways?

A question was raised.....can we still be a Christian and love music that doesn't have godly lyrics? I feel this is a question of individual conviction. For me....I don't listen to much of it anymore. For me, the songs don't have the emotional effects or cause me to stumble as they once did. However, this decision is after much prayer, study, and personal conviction. What I stumble on isn't the same as other people stumble on.

Also.....for my coworker who didn't know how to answer my curiosity......it's ok. I found what I needed to know. I feel God used him in my life. He used him to teach me that in order to find answers about God we have to keep searching and asking. For that lesson, I'll forever be grateful to him.