Like movies,
different facets of my life have different theme songs. I wake to and sometimes
sleep to worship music. Sometimes a particular mood, filters into the rest of the day as I go
about my tasks. Some days I have such a beautiful time with the Lord that I do
not want the feeling to end. Therefore, in the quest to hold on to the
atmosphere of holiness, I play worship music throughout the day and make a
consistent effort to plug into the Spirit. This is not always possible, in fact,
on a day like this, phone calls, work demands and things, people will contend
for attention, and my serene mood soon plummets into exasperation. My
fitness journey was no different. I had to fight and conquer myself just to get
up and go. I soon discovered that pairing a difficult task with an enjoyable
one, turns to trick the brain into believing all is fun. As such, gym time
became party time with a fitting play list characterized by what my son terms “the
olden days” music, such as my favorite kwaito beats by TKZEE, Bongo Muffin, some
reggae renditions by Chaka Demus and Pliers, some Black-eyed Peas and Idia
Arie. These songs are a perfect vehicle to travel down memory lane that evokes reflections
on the times and seasons. Sometimes I reminisce about the exact time and place
I was when a particular song played. I remember whom I was with; what I wore
and the occasion. Sometimes I remember the season, TZEE’S Mambontjie reminds me
of my matric year and my friends Mpho and Tumi. That memory makes me laugh
every single time, and I always cheerfully indulge it. Indeed “if
music be the food of life, play on”. Life without music resembles a white canvas
painted with white paint. Plain.
Hence, one of
the worst things that can happen to me on a long drive is to be without my
choice music. This happened recently on my drive from Magalies, my phone died,
and I did not have a charger, so I grudgingly tuned into Saturday afternoon
radio. The particular radio station I listened to interviewed DJ Ganyani. The
interview was rather awe-inspiring. I discovered that I enjoyed his music quite
a lot; however, I did not know it was his music. I made a mental note to add
this music to my list of favs next time I get into the party mode. This
opportunity occurred a few of weeks later, when I was on an hour drive on my
own from outside Pretoria. It being a Saturday afternoon, driving from a
funeral, this was perfect moment to play DJ Ganyani to shake off the funeral
vibes. You see, the thing about Youtube music, it does not care what your
new favorite thing is. Before taking off, I selected the song I wanted to
listen to, three songs into the playlist, just as things were warming up, Sinach
came blasting through the speakers. I love Sinach a lot, but on this particular
day, I wanted to just vibe to some house music.
The makings of
social media algorithm are such that, one is always presented with the content
that is consistent with their regular consumption. A lot like our thoughts
really. After all, as a man thinketh in
his mind so is he. Our minds form their own algorithms according to the
habits we form and thoughts we chose to engage. I, for one, am obsessed with
the joyful mood my party moments get me into combined with the endorphins brought
about by exercise. I am deliberate and intentional about creating this
environment of joy.
Nevertheless, this
past week, my church embarked on a fast with the instruction to only praise and
thank God for the 7 days. This truly challenged my personal prayer algorithm. I
discovered that, because we were not to ask God for anything, I became aware of
just how much time I spend asking God for things. My algorithm is adept to
confess, ask, cast, bind and loose. I could never have been prepared for the
events of the past week. I had to stop myself, though I may have slipped up a
few times. Praise and worship, however, unlike my party music, does not trick
the brain. It actually transforms one. Praise and worship affect the
worshipper, affect God and affect demons. I am a testimony of the affected worshipper,
having received a tremendous and unexpected deliverance. God answered prayers,
I had no idea how to pray nor the knowledge they needed praying.
So, tomorrow
when Ps Nathaniel Bassie’s Imela follows straight after Khawuleza by Hugh
Masekela. I will not complain, nor will I see it as an interruption. I will
happily vibe to the Holy Spirit. I will bow down and worship him without fear
or favor because He keeps on doing great things. In fact, I will worry if the color of worship
does not show up on my music canvas.
