music monday: why we do what we do

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was restful and that you were able to celebrate the mothers in your life that have made an impact on you. Our weekend was full of life's most blessed joys. We had plenty of reason to celebrate as Jordan turned 27 on Friday, and on Sunday we celebrated Mothers Day and Lorelei's dedication. To have both sets of her grandparents in town, as well as some of her aunts and uncles, made us cherish such a special moment even more. My heart is so full of love and gratitude! My sweet husband and Lorelei gave me a spa day, which will be such a treat, and makes me feel so appreciated. It's hard to believe the weekend is gone, but I'm excited about the week ahead. 

Today's music monday post is about why we do what we do. People often ask Jordan and I questions about how we got into music, but I think answering "why?" is vital to getting started for any musician and/or entrepreneur.

When Jordan and I got married, we were both music majors at Belmont University. We knew we wanted to pursue a career in music, but we honestly weren't sure what that would look like. Neither of us had the driving desire to "get famous" that we saw in many of our classmates, and performing was still something that made me really nervous even though I loved it. We did know that we loved music and songwriting and that we wanted those things to be part of our future. At the time we made the decision to pursue a full-time career in music, we were living in North Carolina and Jordan was on staff as both a worship leader and a teacher. We were living a life that was comfortable, and one we could envision ourselves continuing to build on. 

Throughout that time we had been working on recording some of our music, and as the school year drew to a close we had to decide what our plan was. Our passion was for the music we were creating―to share the things God had put in our hearts and to pursue the things we'd been dreaming about. However, for as many people who were supportive, there seemed to be just as many who advised against us pursuing a career in music. We heard many perspectives, and we spent many nights lying in bed and talking about all the options. Although our dream was to pursue our career as artists, our fear was that everyone else's doubts would be realized. Could we really make a living doing what we loved most, or would we fail miserably and end up feeling like we wasted time we should have spent building a "real" career?

Obviously we did pursue a career in music, and four years after that initial leap of faith, God has done more than we ever imagined or dreamed, and he continues to amaze us with his faithfulness. I truly believe that if we had done this for the wrong reasons, our outcome would have been much different. While we did seek the wisdom of people we respect and trust, at the end of the day our decision was based on a passion for Jesus Christ and the ability to use music to bring him glory. There certainly was no guarantee that it would work out and become a full-time career. In fact, there have been many moments we have questioned whether we should go in another direction. However, God has been more than faithful to clearly answer those questions by providing for us to continue down the path on which he set us.

In the process of making our decision, Jordan told me that there was nothing else he felt so passionate about that he would be willing to put himself out there for. He knew that if we believed enough in what we were doing, then risking looking foolish to others was worth it. We have worked hard to build a career as musicians, and there have been many times we've had to step outside (way outside!) our comfort zone to take steps forward. Jordan especially has dedicated intense amounts of time and energy into making the business side of things run, and I am constantly inspired by his dedication and passion. We very often have discussions about where we've been, where we are, and where we're headed, and we have seen that when our motivation is pure and based on bringing glory to God, he is faithful to multiply our efforts and do great things.

Before you pursue a career path, especially a non-traditional one in a creative field, ask yourself "why?"! For every decision we make, there are many options to choose from, and many reasons behind each option. Don't get so bogged down by other people's opinions and advice that you lose perspective on the true motivation behind your goals and desires. I'm not here to say that just because our motives are pure we will be successful, because often times we do fail or things fall through. The outcome isn't always the way we imagine it will be, but I believe that God truly does work all things together "...for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) We may not always know exactly what His purpose is, and it may turn out that our initial dreams and vision aren't realized in the way we hoped. However, He is faithful to provide in every situation, and for those of us at the beginning of a journey on an unknown path, the first step is to know without a doubt that your decisions are based on what is true and God-honoring!

I'm sure so many of you have had to make tough decisions that weren't always accepted by others. How have you seen God work through those situations? I'd love to hear your "why?" stories and how you got started even when the future was unclear!