...Just to be clear, I'm SPEAKING here, I would never do that with my hand while singing :)
Today I was able to share with some folks about what it means to me to be an independent artist at a delightful conference. I LOVE sharing my story, my passion and hopefully being an encouragement to follow your dreams above and beyond what others believe you can accomplish. You're not in any person’s hands. Define your success beyond human perceptions!
Hmmm, define your success beyond human perceptions.
As long as you're succeeding in a way that looks "normal," that isn't really a concept that you think of very much.
The fear of failure is something that has always haunted me. Not disappointing God or my parents or my family… I’m very certain of their unconditional love. I’m afraid of disappointing myself. What if I don’t live up to what I believe I’m capable of or what I have always dreamt I would be?
Well friends, I think for most of us, we all have that thing (or things) we can point to that doesn’t quite measure up. I think it’s ok and healthy to be able to point to it, as long as we move on. Let’s not build a house over it and live there miserably punishing ourselves.
For me, I was “supposed to be” a mega famous diva, not in a bratty diva way but in a “man, she sings her face off” sort of way.
While I am blessed enough to still have opportunities to “sing my face off,” I’m not famous. I actually have no hope for that. And what is even MOOOOOOOOORE amazing is that I no longer have any desire for that.
Check the news for a long sad list of people who have succeeded in that way but failed in LIFE in LOVE in building something beyond their own ego. It’s not just a secular symptom. While I know a litany of incredibly devout Christian artists who truly serve and sing from the heart I’ve also seen more than I would like to of those who I can’t really tell what their motivations are, but they loooooooove the spotlight and for now it’s the name of Jesus that gets them there. I find that shameful. (That goes for pastors too….and that’s a little random ramble brought to you by Kerrie.)
The point is this, grow where you’re planted. Open up your heart and your hands and hold tight to what you know God has placed in them, keep striving, AND BE SATISFIED.
1 Corinthians 3:7 “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
I’ve held very tightly to this verse through days of very uncomfortable and even painful transitions in my life and in my heart. I challenge you to really meditate on the truth and let it sink in and when you do, more than anything, you feel peace and joy grow.
So here’s to building a LIFE, one that goes beyond earthly desires, one that reaches into the eternal, one vibrant with love because we’re investing in people instead of just our bank accounts and to do lists, one that measures success with the heart of the Father, not the eyes of the world.