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| Source: ibelieve.com |
Perhaps it is because our church seldom worships with traditional hymns, favoring contemporary praise songs instead.
Perhaps it is because it has proven to be a powerful way to teach my children rich theological truths about the character of God.
For myriad reasons, we've been blessed to learn and sing about two dozen hymns to date. (To learn more about hymn resources we've used, check out this post here. To learn more about how we worship with hymns as a family, check out this post about the practice of family worship).
However, what I hadn't realized until very recently is that through hymns, I might be embedding biblical truth into the minds of my children in a far-lasting way when compared with traditional teaching methods, such as catechism and scripture memory.
I recently read an article entitled "Hymns to Remember"in the June 8th issue of World Magazine, which spoke about the unique way music affects our long-term memory.
The article reported on a dementia-friendly worship service at an assisted living facility in Lafayette, Colorado. During the bulk of the service, some of the residents appeared to be napping, while others were slumped over in their seats. But this radically changed when hymn music started up; many of these same participates perked up and beautifully sang out to old hymns such as "Amazing Grace" and "The Old Rugged Cross."
A brain specialist was quoted in the article and had this to share: "The part of the human brain responsible for music retention is often spared in Alzheimer's patients."
Amazing.
I find this to be utterly fascinating, and such an encouragement to me as I work diligently to plant seeds of faith in the hearts of my children!
I wonder: will these hymns that I am teaching my children serve to bless and encourage them if--God forbid--they suffer from dementia when they are in their 80s or 90s?
What a call for me to be faithful as a mother!
...a call to be faithful to plant seeds for the long-haul.
...to be patient when I don't see fruit...for years, decades, or even in my own lifetime!
May God be faithful to water these seeds of truth and make them grow, for HIS glory!
"I [Paul] planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building." --1 Corinthians 3:6-9
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