Kara Conniff

by Kara Conniff

Every single morning I wake up with a song in my head. I can’t predict what it will be, but it is always exactly what I need to get through the day. The way it happens is interesting too. I don’t wake up with full blown lyrics running through my head. I am not singing these songs out loud. It takes me a little while to realize what I’m hearing. I’ll be getting a shower or drying my hair and realize that I’m humming something and slowly I will zero in on the lyrics. When I first noticed this happening it would take a while for me to realize that I was humming at all, but now that I’m used to it, I can focus in pretty quickly. 

One cool thing is that this isn’t limited only to the morning. Throughout the day I have these same experiences. After a stressful meeting, on my commute, after a group meeting at church, I’ll have the exact lyrics I need to remind me of God’s goodness, running through my head.

I started a note on my phone to keep track of these lyrics. 

From The Truth by Megan Woods: The truth is I am truly loved by a God who’s good when I’m not good enough. 

From Take You at Your Word by Cody Carnes:  If you start it you’ll complete it. I’ll take you at your word.

From Good News by Maverick City Music: I’ve got good news. Jesus loves you.

From Honey in the Rock by Brooke Ligertwood: You have all that I need. You are all that I need…There’s honey in the rock. 

From Nothing Else by Forrest Frank and Rhett Atkins: ‘Cause I woke up with a good thing laying by side. I woke up to some birds singing, ‘Hey look, I’m alive.’ I’ve got my family, Jesus, and my health. And if I’ve got all that, I really don’t need nothing else.

From The Creed by Jon Reddick: I believe in the life of Jesus. I believe that he conquered death. I believe in the resurrection. I believe. I believe it. I believe that his spirit’s with us. I believe that he gives us power. I believe he is the son of God. 

The Bible tells us to write scripture on our hearts and these aren’t just song lyrics etched into my heart and soul, these are the words of God. For each of these songs there is a Bible verse or verses that they’re alluding to. These words give life!

I was compelled to write this today to remind myself about the importance of being steeped in God’s words and how what we give our focus to. According to Epictetus, “You become what you give your attention to.” Those are powerful words. You BECOME what you give your attention to. My ultimate goal is to become more like Jesus. This doesn’t happen by accident. You have to feed your mind and soul the words of Jesus in order to become more like him.

This past weekend, Taylor Swift released her new album, The Life of a Showgirl. Honestly, I like Taylor Swift. She really is a creative genius, she’s an incredible writer, and a top-notch performer. My daughter and I got to go to the Era’s Tour and it was amazing! Up until her last two albums, the lyrics were pretty clean and she dressed modestly. She doesn’t represent Christian values, but in a world of Cardi-Bs, she was not that bad. 

Her new album is great. It’s fun and upbeat and easy to dance to. But the lyrics aren’t clean and many songs have an explicit label. I spent the weekend listening to her album and as a surprise to no one I woke up to her music playing in my head. The song Opalite was running through my mind. It’s not a bad song, but it’s not life-giving. It’s not rooted in scripture and God’s promises to us. It’s not what I want my mind to meditate on. 

Let me encourage you to choose carefully what you give your attention to. Listen to uplifting music that points your heart toward God. Watch uplifting shows that show the best of humanity. Read books that bring life and joy. 

Proverbs 4:23: Be careful what you think because your thoughts run your life.

Works Cited:

Carnes, C. (2022). Take you at your word (Feat. Benjamin William Hastings) [Song]. On God is good! Capitol CMG.

Frank, F. (2025). Nothing else (Feat. Thomas Rhett) [Song]. On Child of God II. River House Records.

Ligertwood, B. (2022). Honey in the rock (Feat. Brandon Lake) [Song]. On SEVEN. Sparrow Records; Capitol CMG.

Maverick City Music, Moore, C., Raine, N. (2023). Good news (Feat. Todd Galberth) [Song]. On The Maverick Way Complete. TRIBL Records.

Peterson, E. H. (2002). The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. NavPress.

Reddick, J. (2025). I believe it (The life of Jesus) [Song]. On No fear. Gotee Records.

Swift, T. (2025). Opalite [Song]. On The life of a showgirl. Republic Records.

Woods, M. (2024). The truth [Song]. Fair Trade Services.