Gospel Industry Tip Of The Week 8/22/11
Know Your “Whys”
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a conference for college educators in Music Business and Entertainment Industry Studies sponsored by a university in my city. During one of the sessions, the speaker began to go around the room asking attendees at random about their purpose for working in the field. Although I was not one of the people called upon to respond, my wheels began turning: “Why do I do this?”
I was relieved to find a definitive answer without having to dig for very long. I was even more relieved to find that my answer to that question was in line with my core ideals, my worldview, and my primary passions.
I use the word “relieved” because I genuinely was. I’m learning it is not a given that we have managed to both build and maintain our lives upon a foundation of purposefulness.
It’s funny how much of life can be lived virtually at random, even for those of us who consider ourselves to be committed Christians. Sure, most of us devoted to the faith share a biblical worldview, including the notion that we were created by God and for God and that all of what we accomplish is through Him and to Him (Romans 11:36, KJV). Unfortunately, for many of us, beyond that generalized eternal overview it would be difficult for us to articulate the “whys” in our lives.
Take away the people who give purpose to our existence—-the family, friends, and children who motivate our daily routine. Now strip away our sense of culture and upbringing and pose the question of why again, and a concrete answer becomes more difficult to find.
If we’re being honest, that’s only human nature. God may have created us with eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV), but as long as we live in the eternity deprivation chambers known as our physical bodies, we are chained to the limits of what we can see, feel, and experience in this temporal world. Add to that basic state the difficulties of life and the stresses of this world and it takes a constant, monumental effort to be more mindful of our “whys” than we are of what simply “is”.
I have always believed that what separates those of us in the gospel marketplace from our colleagues in the mainstream should not be the quality of music or level of professionalism but our commitment to the Gospel message.
We are blessed to create and support art with a limitless, eternal, life-altering purpose. But that purpose will never be fully realized unless we also live as artists and professionals with an equal sense of purpose.
It’s not enough to decide to be an artist simply because you’ve always been able to sing. It’s not enough to dedicate yourself to songwriting merely because everyone in your family or church tells you you’re talented. To make a real impact in this marketplace, in this world, we’ve got to be aware of and consistently committed to deeper “whys”.
So do yourself a favor, do your potential audience a favor: Take the time to truly reflect upon why you’re doing what you’re doing with your talent. With the help of the Holy Spirit, look deeply into your own heart and allow Him to reveal the truth about your motivations.
A word of warning: You may not like what you see there right now.
Don’t be discouraged. One of the greatest things about the Holy Spirit is that He only reveals the dark things that He is about to correct and purify. We are His work to complete.
As always, please keep a record of what you see and hear. Some of the most profound, powerful songs and performances come from our walks with the Holy Spirit through those dark places. He really does have a way of creating beauty from our ashes (Isaiah 61:3, KJV).
Wherever you are in your developmental process, please stop and consider your “whys”.
Published: August 22, 2011 | 0 Comments
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