“School Bus” is the title I gave one of my most loved Spotify playlists. It’s a collection of punk rock songs that were popular when I was in middle and high school. I got my first hot pink iPod nano in fifth grade and my first iPod touch in eighth grade, and not a school day went by that I wasn’t jamming to these songs on the way to and from school.
Flash forward a few years to college, and these songs were still the soundtrack to many of my journeys. I made many a late night or early morning drive on the empty Mississippi interstates and highways belting along to my “School Bus” playlist. It was also a popular choice whenever my college women’s ultimate frisbee team had to make long drives to weekend tournaments as many of the ladies on the team had their own nostalgic memories of these same songs.
Even now as an adult, while my husband and I will listen to many different things on road trips, there is a subset of songs and playlists we both know we will excitedly agree upon no matter what mood we’re in. “Let’s do the ‘School Bus’ playlist,” is a commonly uttered phrase on our road trip adventures.
Whenever I listen to this playlist, it is like muscle memory. I’m transitioning seamlessly from song to song, singing every word, and air drumming every dramatic beat. This playlist has been ingrained in me because of the countless hours I’ve spent listening to it, and it offers me the opportunity to reflect on many memories and situations throughout multiple stages of my life.
As I reflect on the Way of the Cross during this Lenten season, I am reminded how God’s word plays a similar role in the broader journey of my life. Whether it be directly through scripture reading or through interpretation in hymns, God’s word offers a space to reflect and can be associated with every step of my life’s journey. Just like immersing myself in a certain playlist over the course of many years led to a deep familiarity with and love for these songs, so too does making God’s word the soundtrack of my life require time and immersion in His word. My prayer is that God continues to bless me with ways and a desire to hear His word and that the words of the Lord ring evermore in my thoughts and in my heart with each passing day along my way.
“My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.” Proverbs 4:20-22
