Song of the Righteous

 In D&C 25:12 it states 

" 12 For my soul delighted in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads."

This Christmas year I had the chance to sing out my joys of Christ.  I have always been told if you cant sing good sing loud... Lets just say I took that to heart.  Many friendly smiles and waves turned our way as we sang about Jesus' birth.   

"Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns.  My testimony and conversion to the restored gospel were strongly influenced by singing" 

-Jay E. Jensen

Its so easy to listen to wholesome music this time of year.  With Christmas music always on we get into the excitement of giving.  Now that the season is coming to an end we need to start to remember what wholesome music is.  

I was reading this afternoon a talk by Boyd K. Packer called "Inspiring Music- Worthy Thoughts. "  During I found a wonderful analogy that helped me understand the importance of hymns and good music. I know this is a lengthy quote but I promise it will help with any struggle you may have mentally. 

"The mind is like a stage. Except when we are asleep the curtain is always up. There is always some act being performed on that stage. It may be a comedy, a tragedy, interesting or dull, good or bad; but always there is some act playing on the stage of the mind...Have you noticed that without any real intent on your part, in the middle of almost any performance, a shady little thought may creep in from the wings and attract your attention? These delinquent thoughts will try to upstage everybody. 

If you permit them to go on, all thoughts of any virtue will leave the stage. You will be left, because you consented to it, to the influence of unrighteous thoughts.

If you yield to them, they will enact for you on the stage of your mind anything to the limits of your toleration. They may enact a theme of bitterness, jealousy, or hatred. It may be vulgar, immoral, even depraved.When they have the stage, if you let them, they will devise the most clever persuasions to hold your attention. They can make it interesting all right, even convince you that it is innocent—for they are but thoughts. 

What do you do at a time like that, when the stage of your mind is commandeered by the imps of unclean thinking?—whether they be the gray ones that seem almost clean or the filthy ones which leave no room for doubt.If you can control your thoughts, you can overcome habits, even degrading personal habits. If you can learn to master them you will have a happy life."

I know that when we kept our thoughts clean our actions become clean.  I am so grateful that I can celebrate the faith I have through song, prayer and action!