I have a scenario for you. What happens when you gather a bunch of musicians in a room?
I like to call it an insecurity-fest.
We take our music very personally. Criticism can kill us. Our hearts sink to the floor when we see someone who’s better than us.
We like to take every chance we can get to impress someone…(in humility, of course).
It’s seems hilarious to write, but it’s so true: our art and our worth are inextricably linked.
But I’m about to drop a bomb on you.
You can turn back from this blog post now, if you’d like. I won’t be offended (actually, yes I will. I take this blogging thing very personally and if you don’t read it, I kick and scream and cry like a baby).
But here’s the truth: you’re not the best.
That wasn’t so bad, was it?
There will always be someone better, with more experience, more fans. Someone with a stronger voice, greater musical chops, and more versatility. There will always be a stronger songwriter, more powerful worship leader, and better looking performer.
Always.
Are you sad? Don’t be.
It’s OK.
Why You Have Talent
The entirety of your life – strength and weakness – is a testimony to the person of Jesus. In your weakness, He has opportunity to reveal His strength. In your strength, He has opportunity to reveal His glory because He gave it to you.
You were born to draw attention to Christ – to make much of Him to the world.
Just because you are not the best doesn’t mean you should sit on the sidelines. That may be how you were treated on your high school varsity team. You warmed the bench. You watched others bask in the limelight of popularity.
But in the kingdom of God, there’s no bench. We are the church – glorious in our calling, broken yet beautiful, weak but primed for God to reveal His glory through us. And that’s why we need you to be…you.
I know you wish you had more talent. We all do. But theres a freedom that comes when you accept what you’ve been given and start investing your life in God’s mission now.
Stop disqualifying yourself. Stop comparing. The time is now and we need you to rise up.
Why You Must Develop Your Talent
You have talent not just so you can enjoy it but so that you can create, perform, serve, and innovate to reveal Jesus to this world.
You have talent so that you can take it, develop it, grow it, and become the best you can be.
The development of talent isn’t a path to becoming the best. It’s not a race to stardom. It’s a path to become the most useful for God’s work (tweetable).
The more you work, hustle, and develop your talent, the more God has to anoint when His Spirit moves.
Hours of agonizing practice become worth it when God pours His Spirit out on you (tweetable).
A Voice or a Name? You Choose.
I have a question for you: Do you want a voice or a name? Is your goal to see your name in lights or to be a voice that cries out in the wilderness – “prepare the way of the Lord!” God is raising up worship leaders, songwriters, pastors, musicians, and business leaders with a voice.
Let’s take songwriting, for example. You are a songwriter because God has given you a voice – a voice calling out, “Behold the glory of God! Notice His beauty! See His wonders!”
John the Baptist was a legit leader. Think about it: He wore camel’s hair. He ate locusts and wild honey (freaking locusts!). It doesn’t get more manly than that. He was a celebrity. He had a following, a tribe.
But remember what he said?
“A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:27-30).
He. MUST. Become. Greater.
He. MUST. Become. The. Center.
He. MUST. Take. All. The. Glory.
Are you THAT resilient about the glory of God?
Today, I want to hear your story. Do you struggle with not being the best?
How are you investing your life in God’s mission today?
Go ahead, leave a comment. We want to hear from you!
Well said.. You just redirected many towards God again.. Sometimes worship teams forget this, and it is upsetting..
Agreed. I need to be reminded myself!
I can totally identify with this! I grew up in Nashville, TN, aka Music City. All of my friends growing up were these talented musicians and vocalists. Many of them are professionals now. I was so discouraged, not by anything they did, but by how I reacted to them. I realize now that I was trying to judge my worth by my skills, so I invested in things that came really easy to me, like video games. Instead of practicing my scales, I practiced my micro management (in the video game sense, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTt9L3mMTbw). And, as a result of hours and hours of practice, I got really, really good. Then I got some healing in my identity. Now I understand my worth doesn’t come from my skill. It’s funny how God had to bring me out of Music City to get me back into music. I actually have motivation to practice, to write, and have even overcome my fear of playing in front of people (when I first started leading worship, I felt like I was going to throw up for about an hour or so beforehand, now I don’t even get the jitters anymore haha).
The healing is certainly a process; I definitely still have my moments where I get all dejected if someone is better than me, but I am shaking that off and accepting what you said, David: There will always be someone better than me. And that’s totally okay.
Well said, Cameron. Thanks for sharing your story. How would you say you got healing in your identity?
I would say that I got healing in identity by going through some really incredible teaching about the orphan spirit vs the spirit of sonship, learning about how living from a place of sonship and thankfulness instead of living with a closed fist, trying to hold on to everything I had. Learning about how I am totally accepted in Jesus, that no person can affect that, no performance can affect that. Learning how to get my love needs met in the secret place first before trying to get any kind of affirmation from people. It definitely came after a season of getting revelation about all that stuff.. It did not come over night for me.
Very well said. I get it. The problem surfaces amongst the other (back up) vocalists who set up a defense when you want to help them improve their vocal projections. I hear comments like “I know I’m not as good a singer as you are, but God knows my heart, and I’m doing this for His glory”–I get so frustrated with those reactions–people want to settle for what best they think they are giving, and subtly refuse to improve…
That is tough. I usually find that calm, one on one conversations are best for situations like this.
I love your blogs David! But don’t get a big head, you’re not the best! haha I thought I had matured and gotten over all the comparing and thinking I needed to be the best to be successful but after reading some of the details in this post I think I still have some work to do with this. What’s ironic is God has taken my music ministry and used it in leading me to speak/sing to women about worry and anxiety (one of my weaknesses that I struggled with for years). I guess it makes sense. This is where I am most vulnerable and humble therefore most able to be used by God. I want to have a voice for Jesus, not a name for myself. Thanks again for the great reminder!
How dare you say I’m not the best! 🙂
So glad to see you using your gifts, Cindy. Keep it up!
I think I do struggle with not being the best. Jamming in many situations has taught me that it is a fact of life. The way I get through it is to always surround myself with players who are more talented, more experienced, more creative and just plain better, so that I can soak up every little drop of inspiration, wisdom, and knowledge. God put me in a room with them so I would improve.
Donald, that is such a great perspective. Rather than feeling threatened by people who are better, try and learn all you can.
This one hit the nail on the head for me. After leading a very spirit annointed service and sharing a new song I wrote with my congregation in which God ministered powerfully I found myself days later dissapointed when no one commwnted on such a great service on a church Facebook site. God gave me the song, God ministered to hearts, I am just thankful that I got to be and instrument he used. Shame on me for wanting a piece of Glory
Thanks David, your posts really challenge me
Stacy, I’m glad you shared this. There’s an emptiness that can set in after ministry. You want to feel the appreciation, but it’s not always there. Reminds us to center our identity in God’s love.
Thanks for this David – God is really challenging me on this lately. It’s one thing to acknowledge that He wants me to channel it into serving and building up where he’s put me, and another to really live that and let it move from head to heart!
amen bro. Great post as usual..
During conventions, I do have some tendencies of comparing myself with other worship leaders. I felt secure at the thought there are those who can do things greater…
Thanks for reminding me of rejoicing in our weakness, because,truly, God is our strength.. nothing compares when God fills us with His Spirit,and as you mentioned in your previous post, we need intimate times with God.. I’m being reminded that He will use us when we humble ourselves and if we are prepared and willing to be used as an instrument. Honestly, I’ve not done my part often.. I’ve neglected those times alone with God, and have been busy with the cares of this world. Our pastor has reminded me of the importance of soaking in God’s presence in order to hear His voice… I miss those times
JD, these are wise words. We need to humble ourselves.
It’s an interesting tension between accepting you’re not the best; that God can use you in your weakness, and developing your God-given talent and striving for excellence. Or at least, mild improvement!
Exactly. Definitely a tension we need to dive into.
This rang true for me. I would tremble with fear when I played for my worship team and other musicians were there. I already knew I wasn’t the best. The fear came when I believed they would agree. But I’m freely resting in my year named “just do you”. I thank you David for that insight at the start of the year. Not by talent but by the anointing are yokes destroyed. Many are more talented but none have a greater desire to be used for His glory.
Kim, it’s great to see you overcoming your fear!
I am always hardest on myself and no matter how well I may have played or done during worship, I am always the guy to go over every little detail till I go mad. For a long time I let the self criticism control me and fear kept me from taking opportunities to use my talents and gifts. For me, stepping back into my prayer closet and becoming worshiper again really focused me on my purpose. I was never about being well known or having my name in lights but never felt worthy or good enough to lead. My purpose is to worship and when I lead I simply worship, when I learned to let everything go and encounter God in my personal times, I believe I can lead people to encounter God in our corporate times. I have always known there was someone better ……..and I am not good enough, its a privilege just to be a part of it all.
Yes. And I needed this so bad tonight. Thank you for posting this up. I recently received the opportunity to be the worship leader at another location of my church here in Chicago. It was the scariest and most unexpected thing that I’ve ever committed to do, but I felt like God called me to it, with a peace that I’ve never felt before. So here I am, only been doing it for exactly a month today, and feeling super discouraged about my ability to play keys and sing at the SAME time. I’ve been so used to doing either one or the other before, and in my comfort zone that way, but now duty calls. It’s difficult at times and today I was practicing and just felt like I really sucked. But you know what, thanks for this blog. God is so good and I’m glad that he wants me to lead his people. Such a humbling thing that: “he doesn’t call the equipped, but equips the called.” And….he’s right there everytime I practice.