Whose music are we going to listen to in the car? That is a very important question that we have to deal with when we go on mission trip every year. I spent last week with the CYF mission team in Chicago. My music tends to be a little more on the “folk” end of things when I’m driving. I’m a fan of the whole “one person and a guitar” kind of sound to keep me from getting stressed. The youth are generally a little more into music that you can bounce around in your seat to.
Since I’m driving, my iPod is the one that plays most of the music, but every so often the youth plug theirs in and a dance party begins. Some of the music is not my taste – like the whole Call Me Maybe Song, not really a fan—but hey I’m a fan of being silly and dancing so I can handle it. What I’m learning slowly, and music is an example of this, is that it’s not always about me. When I’m in community it sometimes means that I need to let other people get what they need so that the community can be better. I trust that my needs, for slow folksy musicians (Nickel Creek…I love you) will be met at some point.
This trust in one another, this belief that community will serve me because I have committed to serve them is amazing. I’m a firm believer that God is love…this is how I see God on these trips. I see God in our community loving and taking care of one another, I see God in our community loving and taking care of others…even if their music isn’t always my taste.
