His fingers dance up and down the frets as the crowd sings and sways with the rhythm. He feels the worry and doubt dissolve, the newfound fire in his heart igniting with each new chord. The sound of worship and praise fills the cavity which once held his darkest times. This is just one of the riveting moments lived by freshman student Ezra Haines.
“I’m named after the Bible,” said Haines. Growing up in a church-centered household certainly helped mold his faith today. “I used to go to this place in Marysville,” said Haines, “We would play games and have bible trivia… so that’s where I went from probably age 5 to about 8.” Children are impressionable. From his point of view, he started young with proper practices and values and they shaped him into who he is today .
“A challenge I face is I used to have anger issues. I overcame it through God and I used to pray about it every day.” said Haines. “you can even say God motivated me,”. Whether it’s a religious figure, a cultural symbol, or just someone you admire, having someone to turn to when things go south is vital.
In his free time, Haines said “sometimes I play worship for my youth group that I go to… It’s pretty cool, it happens every Thursday and sometimes I get up there and I play guitar for worship.”. Music is medicine. A good tune can be the antidote for a lot more than most realize.
So he places that strap around his shoulder, letting the music take place of any negative feelings. In the words of Haines, “trust God and start praying to him if you’re ever going through stuff or you need to get something off your chest, just go to God and pray about it.”
