Dear Concerned Parent,

First off, I am not a doctor of medicine but a doctor of Theology. I minister in the spiritual realm with what is good for the spirit/inner man and soul (mind/will/emotions). To keep our body healthy, we have to eat healthy food, and to keep our spirit and soul healthy, we must eat proper spiritual food.

From the physical point of view, make sure your daughter has regular medical checkups to see that her body is functioning correctly, including her hormones.

From the spiritual point of view, encourage your daughter to feed on healthy spiritual food which includes hearing and reading the Word of God each day. Listening to good Christian music is also good. The songs contain words that are uplifting. Praise and worship music leads us to a place of peace, hope, love, and reminds us of how great and faithful our Lord is.

Paul tells us in Romans 10:17-18, So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God….Faith means assurance, confidence, fully persuaded. So no matter what our age, what we listen to is very important. It will affect our thinking. If it’s praise and worship music, it will bring faith in a wonderful heavenly Father who is the God of the impossible. All of us, but especially teenagers, face seemingly impossible situations. Jesus says in Matthew 19:26: "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." But if it is secular music or some so called Christian music that says nothing about the love of Jesus, it does nothing for our spirit. It reaches out to our emotions. The words are only about human love, and wow, that human love can sure let you down.

I tell people of all ages, one of the greatest songs they can listen to is this: “Jesus loves me this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me….” What great theology and truth in that little song.

To get back to your question, yes music could certainly be affecting your daughter’s mood and sadness, but it could be something else too. Pray about it and then talk to her about your concerns. Remember, our children belong to God. Parents are just stewards of their children. A good steward will guide them away from worldly music, no matter what station it is on, so they do not become a victim of that music. Ask God’s help to guide your daughter to love praise and worship music that will lead her to love, hope, encouragement and belief in a faithful God.

Do you have a question? Send your questions to Judy Baus, baus1@juno.com