Why I Sing
I sing because it gives me joy.
I sing because it’s the calm in the storm.
I sing to worship.
I sing because it’s fun.
I only sing for Jesus.
Growing up I was not known as “a singer”. I was a dancer. That’s what I identified with. I sang in choir all throughout middle school and some in high school, but then I quit when all of my friends moved up to advanced choir and I was going to be left behind. You see, there was a big problem with my singing. When I got nervous, the nerves completely overtook my voice. I couldn’t control it. I bombed every audition and every tryout. So, I decided to invest heavily in dance, and it certainly paid off.
Fast forward many years later, I married into a family of music. Not just any family of music… a family with so much talent, it makes you just sit back in awe. My husband has been blessed beyond belief with musical talent. I’m proud he channels it mostly toward worship at our church (country music is a close second). Inevitably, when you live with someone like that, music becomes a part of you too. I started to invest in music again. I began singing with our church choir in 2009 and praise team in 2014. There were growing pains in picking up that rusty voice again…. Oh yea and there was that glaring issue of what the nerves did to my voice. But Brent was patient with me… and so was the church🤣.
Over time I have learned to better control it. Side note: I learned to control nervousness through initiating pain. It sounds crazy, but when I felt the nerves taking over I would grip the mic so hard that my fingernails would press into my skin. Inflicting pain intentionally tricks your mind into focusing on the pain instead of the situation. Look it up! It’s a legit mind trick. You’re welcome!
The next thing I learned to do was let the Holy Spirit take over. That’s when worship reached a whole new level for me. This is why I only sing for Jesus. No other vocal space includes the Holy Spirit like that of the church. Any other place, you have to rely on pure talent. LOL. Do I still get nervous? For sure! But I know Who carries me. I sing for something and someone bigger than myself.
Someone asked me the other day, “Are you a singer?” And I had a hard time answering that question. I wanted to say no, not at all. The good thing about singing with your husband is he knows your flaws and he knows how to cover them! But the question stumped me and I wondered why I struggled to answer it. So I decided to put serious thought into why I sing. Maybe you have struggled to use your voice or anything else for the Kingdom. You can replace the word “sing” with anything you do for God. I am praying these thoughts help you.
I sing because it’s one brave thing I do for God.
Yep, you gotta be brave and vulnerable to sing in front of people. No one is perfect. There will be mistakes. There will be weird notes. There will be missed intros, and 500 people get to be a part of that imperfection. Ugh. I do it so that maybe it encourages others to do one brave thing for God…. One vulnerable thing for Him. You don’t have to be on a stage to be brave. In fact, the most brave things happen in more tender and relational moments. Sometimes asking someone if they go to church is the bravest and boldest of moves. Can you be brave this week for God? What brave thing is He asking you to do? Do it!
I sing as an act of worship with my husband.
I feel incredibly lucky that we get to serve God together in this way. We push each other to be better while growing closer to God. Serving together is not all sunshines and rainbows. Sometimes it is difficult. He is our leader. I serve as a contributing member of the team, not as his wife. It took me a bit to understand that concept, but it’s what makes him good at his job! Serving together is less about us and our emotions and feelings and more about those that we lead.
You don’t have to sing to grow closer together in your faith. How are you and your husband or friends engaging with God together? It can be as simple as praying, going to Sunday school together, going to church together, and reading God’s Word. The important thing is that you both seek God hand in hand. Grow together, not separately.
I sing because I’m prepping for eternity.
There will be a day when I no longer sing on the praise team. We will usher in a new generation of singers and God will use me somewhere else. Will I stop singing? No! I will sing of His love forever. Revelation is a book full of worship and song. We will sing “Hallelujah!” and “Holy Holy Holy” for eternity with Jesus. It’s one of the few things we do on earth and also in Heaven. Woah! God will allow our voices to carry over into heaven to lift Him high. Do you have goosebumps? We are merely practicing for eternity. How can you use your voice on Earth in preparation for Heaven? I do not mourn the day God places me in a new spot to serve Him because our days of singing are never done.
I sing for my children.
Our children have watched us sing together since they were born. They have even listened to it while in the womb! They have seen us serve together all of their lives. They have seen their momma do one brave thing for Jesus. They have seen their dad bring others to their knees for Jesus. They have seen the tears, the imperfect worship, and mistakes as well. I pray it gives them confidence. But what I’m most proud of is that they see all the behind the scenes work too. They arrive with us just about every Sunday (sometimes grumpy… wait…mostly grumpy) before anyone shows up for practice. We’re so thankful for sweet friends and family that show up early with us to help with kids. The kids see Brent plugging in, setting up, checking sound etc. They see more work off-stage than on the stage.
The girls LOVE music and they love Jesus. Perhaps my singing has nothing to do with me and everything to do with them. Perhaps it’s all about them and the ministry impact they will have one day. We should be praying that our children make a greater splash for God than we could ever do as parents. I see it unfolding in the small things. I see Aly bring friends and family members to the altar to pray, because she has seen us do it. I see Sadie sing with all her heart and soul (that girl has passion), because she has seen us do it. I hear Joey start every prayer with, “Thank you dear God,” because he has heard someone in our family do it.
So yea…. I sing for them. 🥹
Pick one thing you can do for your children or anyone that you have influence over. Show them what brave and bold Christianity looks like. Show them what service looks like (especially behind the scenes). Show them what joy and worship looks like in preparation for Heaven. Show them what growing together in faith and in marriage looks like. Please don’t think our family is perfect at this. We are not! Our kids see our mistakes and flaws too… I promise! My middle one is very good at pointing them out!
God gives us a plethora of reasons to sing. Maybe next time someone asks me about singing, I’ll have a better answer. I won’t struggle to respond. This whole blog was written in the context of singing at church, but we all have a voice. We all have a choice to sing His praises or not. We all have the ability to be a voice of hope and light. Can you use your voice to be brave for God? Can you use it in worship together with your spouse or friend? Can you use it to shape the next generation’s ministry impact? Can you sing with hopeful expectation of what Heaven will be like?
Sing….my friend. Sing loud. God delights in your voice.
