Don't Be Afraid to Stand Out!

Since I'm new at the blog thing, I have been looking around at various blogs to see what works the best! In addition to more varied posts, a lot of bloggers do a routine, weekly post centering on a certain theme. For example, BigMama, one of my favorite bloggers, does Fashion Fridays - giving her readers ideas for internet deals on fashionable items. (Don't worry, Bobby and Dad, I'm not going to start giving fashion tips. You can keep reading...)

Last night, while I was in the shower, (that's where I do my best creative thinking for some odd reason), I was brainstorming ideas for a routine post that I could do. Besides brainstorming, another one of my favorite shower pasttimes (probably to the dismay of all my former roommates) is to blare music & sing at the top of my lungs! (Did I mention that I'm borderline tone-deaf w/ a raspy voice to boot?) Anyway, the combination of these two activities spawned an idea for a routine post fitting to me. I will pick a song of the week that inspires me. Or, at least, I'll give it a shot this week. If it doesn't work, I can always scrap the idea later.

For someone who cannot sing whatsoever, I have a remarkable love for music! Perhaps, my affinity stems from the fact that songs are really poetry put to music. Like many, I tend to process life through the music I'm listening to (and the books I'm reading) at any given moment. There's a soundtrack to accompany every season of my life!

Before entering the current season of waiting that I mentioned in my last post, I had just come out of a crisis of faith regarding my calling. For about two years, I struggled with extreme unrest and doubt about God's purpose for my life. I was paralyzed by the fear that I would miss my destiny. To be perfectly honest, I am still not over this struggle. I still have moments of panic. I still wonder on a regular basis if I will ever amount to anything of value for God's kingdom. (I realize this is a very egocentric fear...I'm just being real.) Thankfully, however, through God's grace, the promises of His Word, and the encouragement of family and friends who believe in me more than I believe in myself, I have come to some semblance of victory over this stronghold.

In the midst of this struggle, I heard a song on the radio that encapsulated all of the hopes and fears that I had been feeling for so long. It's called "The Lost Get Found" by Britt Nicole. Britt is a contemporary-Christian artist about my age from North Carolina. Her song inspires listeners of all ages to rise up and do something for the glory of God. The chorus goes like this:

"Don't let your lights go down.
Don't let your fire burn out.
Somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe.
Why don't you rise up now?
Don't be afraid to stand out,
That's how the lost get found."

At the end of the song, Britt asks a question that continued to reverberate in my mind after I heard it the first time.

"So when you get the chance, are you gonna take it?
There's a really big world at your fingertips,
And you know you have the chance to change it."

For months, I had been so paralyzed by fear over my calling that I stood motionless while people around me needed to hear about the hope of Christ Jesus. When I heard the question in Britt's song, it was almost as if God himself was asking me. Like He was saying, "Missy, you leave the specifics of your calling up to me. I just want to know one thing - when I give you the chance, are you going to take it?" You see, God's purpose for his people is twofold. First, God has an ultimate purpose for our lives. But, the awesome thing about God is that he also gives us a purpose for each day. Until that point, I had been insisting that God reveal to me the ultimate purpose for my life before I moved a muscle. As a result, I had missed out on so many daily chances to fulfill my calling. Fortunately, our God is a God of second chances. So, I challenge you through the words Britt's song. "When you get the chance, are you gonna take it?" "Don't be afraid to stand out, that's how the lost get found!"

If you want to hear the song & see the profound music video that goes with it, I encourage you to watch it here. (If you just want to read the lyrics, click here.)