Saturday, April 7, 2018

Tryin’ to Find You - Behind the Music

I sat at the kitchen table, guitar in lap, coffee mug to the left, and notebook to the right with my pencil in hand anxiously tapping it upon the blank pages as if lyrics would magically appear. I was gazing out of the window watching the world move seemingly faster than me and wondering where I fell in this race we call life.

My first EP, Gypsy Leavin’, was set to release in 4 weeks. All of the songs were selected, recorded, artwork completed, and release party rehearsals were underway, but the EP somehow felt unfinished. It felt empty, as if the song in my soul didn’t make the cut because it had yet to be written. 

It wasn’t written because I couldn’t find it

I didn’t really know who I was, what I was doing, or what I was even supposed to do. I didn’t know if I was fulfilling my purpose. I kept asking God if I was making the right choices, if I was following His plan or my own selfish ambitions. Questions that undoubtedly still cross my mind to this day. However, in that moment at my kitchen table, God reminded me of the Parable of the Bags of Gold (Matthew 25:14-30). In brief, the master gives three men a bag of talents/gold. One man goes and fearlessly invests and doubles his master’s money, the second man goes out and slightly hesitates but still gains some profit, and the third is too afraid and buries it - not gaining anything for the master, but hiding it all in fear. God didn’t give us different talents and gifts to hide them. He gave them to us to use for His glorification! 

With this realization my pencil began to fly and new-to-me chord progressions found their way to my fingertips. Tryin’ to Find You was written in less than two hours, recorded, mixed, mastered, and added to the EP in less than a week. 

I will not know if I’ve reached my goal in life until I meet my maker face to face. I’ll know my purpose was fulfilled when I look at my master and he looks back and responds, “well done, good and faithful servant” not ‘well thought of’ or ‘well written’ but well DONE. 

So as I drive about through life focusing on what needs to be done with my talents, I hope you do the same. Live fearlessly for God’s plan because His purpose for your life is way bigger than anything you could imagine. Don’t hesitate and look back into the rear view mirror of your past because your past doesn’t define your future and when you feel alone and lost in a ghost town, lean towards Him and He will undoubtedly show you the way. 

Go shine that light, friends! 
Live fearlessly for the Lord. I believe in you!