The Elisabeth Chronicles: The Mixed Tape of My Life

When I was younger, I could've cared less about music. I listened to the radio and had a favorite song, but even so, in all honesty, I could've lived without it. But then one day in college I met someone who made me realize what a gift listening to music truly was (is).

There was a girl in one of my education classes who was (is) Deaf. That semester, I believe we all learned more from this girl than the professor. One of those lessons came one day when the professor led a discussion on the power of music in teaching. After quietly soaking in some of the conversation, the girl said, Listening to music is a gift. Don't take it for granted.

That hit me so hard that day and has stuck with me. We, with ears that allow us to naturally hear music, have a gift. ...one we often take for granted. So from then on, I listened to music with a different perspective.

I find myself playing it all the time. It is hard to drive without the radio on. If I am washing dishes or cleaning up, I have my iPod going. I catch myself humming tunes throughout the day. And it's all because a classmate opened my eyes one day way back when...

I say all that to say... I really do love music!

So when I saw Andrea's link-up, I was all in.

The idea was to pick the songs that would be on the mixed tape of your life. What songs bring you back to specific times in your life?

When I think of my early years, most of my memories involve church events. Children's Church, Kids Crusades, VBS, Lock-ins Camp Springville, etc... Well, we had so many of the Psalty The Singing Songbook VHS tapes that we'd watch at all of these events. I loved them. And I could quote almost every song... :)

Another fun childhood memory was of Billy Ray Cyrus's Achy Breaky Heart blaring in my best friend's bedroom as we sang into our hairbrushes and danced like we were pro's. Oh my word, we had the biggest crush on him.

By Middle School, my tastes in music had changed and this band of brothers was my favorite. I just knew I'd marry a Hanson. This song made those awkward middle school years a little more bearable. After all... This was my jam. Ha! But oh my word... Y'all when I was looking a video of them singing MmmBop, I realized just how ~~annoying~~ catchy this song is after it got stuck in my head forEVER... ;)

Vitamin C came out with her song, Friends Forever, while I was in high school and I didn't realize how true to life it'd become. Now when I hear that song (and yes, I do have it on my ipod... Don't judge), I think of my time at good ol' Florala High.

Pocketful of Sunshine was released my last year of college and I loved it. Still do... And now when I hear it, I'm instantly taken back to those brick lined streets on the campus of the University of Montevallo.

I went on a 2 week long mission trip to South Africa in 2005. It was there that God revealed to me that I'd be back in Africa full time one day. I can picture it now, sitting in the little outside dining area at the lodge we were staying at and watching a presentation by some local dancers. I was so overcome with emotion, that I almost had to leave. I felt the Holy Spirit's presence so strongly that night and was so excited at the thought of how He'd use me in this calling He'd placed on my life. It was an awesome feeling!

Anywho - While on that trip, my teammates and I did various puppet shows and skits and human videos for local churches and schools. One human video we did was to the song, People Get Ready. And now... Now, that song transports me back to that night in South Africa when God placed on my heart, a love for this continent I now call my 2nd home.

Fast forward 4 years and I'm in the airport in Atlanta, GA having just said goodbye to my parents and brother and left security. I wipe the tears out of my eyes and put my earbuds in, turning the sound on my iPod all the way up. Bittersweet was the main characteristic I'd use to describe how I was feeling... I was so sad to be leaving my family and life in America. But at the same time, I was so incredibly happy and excited about heading to Senegal and doing what God had called me to do all those years ago. Well, the first song that came on was Coldplay's Vida la Vida and when I heard the words, "like missionaries in a foreign field," I stopped. I felt like I was meant to hear that song and that very moment. And now, any time I hear that song, I am instantly transported back to the busy Atlanta airport and the feelings of that moment...

On April 6, 2015, I wrote a blog post entitled Beyond Me. You can read it here. We knew my dad was nearing the end and I had reached a low point and decided to be super real and share the truth of what I was feeling. I had no way of knowing just 13 days later, he'd pass away. But it was around that time that God led me to the song, Beyond Me by TobyMac. And now when I hear that song, I think back to the grace and mercy and love of a Heavenly Father who takes care of all that's beyond me...all that I can't even fathom. This song is a constant reminder of the goodness of my Heavenly Father. I love it!

And lastly... Oceans by Hillsong is one of my most favorite worship songs. I remember hearing one of the teenagers at my home church (Temple AG in Clanton, AL) and hearing her sing the words, Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me, and feeling like someone had punched me in the gut. It was as if God was saying, This is what I need you to do. Trust me. Trust me completely.

Y'all, life is tough sometimes. It's hard. And while it'd be awesome if we could stay at home, or where things are comfortable (easy), that's not what God wants us to do. We need to trust in Him wholly and completely. We need to say to the Holy Spirit... Lead me where my trust is without borders.