Hypocrisy Toward The Heart of the Songwriter

Psalm 96:1, 98:1, 149:1, and Isaiah 42:10 all say to sing to the Lord a new song. Someone has to write these new songs. I am one of those people.

Recently in church, the sermon covered the story of the widow's mite. This story tells of richer people making a show of the money they were giving, but this woman making little of her contribution. While this is often used to illustrate that you should give no matter how bad it gets, the core of the usage this time had to do with where your heart is when you do what you do for God, and that you can do the right things for the wrong reasons.

This got me to thinking about volunteering at the church. Churches are usually pretty vocal about needing help since they thrive on their congregation stepping up to give of their time for teaching and literally everything else that goes on. They cry out for help and proclaim that you have a talent in something and they can it. Those who volunteer for some things are applauded for their willingness to sacrifice for the Lord and there is rarely, if ever, any question as to their motives or heart in the matter.

Unless you're a songwriter.

We have a campaign going for Feed My Starving Children, and someone was on stage a few weeks back who felt like she was called to help this campaign and be a big part of it. No small deal was made of this desire. However, if this person had said, "The Lord has called me to write music for his people," the vetting and doubt would still be going on. I know this because I write music. It has been implied not very subtlely that my heart is not in the right place by more than one person.

So a person can be revered because they feel called in one area, but completely shut down if called in another? If I said I'm up for teaching the youngsters, I'd be ushered in without question. Heck, even as a stage musician, there was very little vetting when it came to playing the existing music. Someone has to play it, right?

Let's talk about a calling for just a moment. How does one know they are called to do a certain thing? I've struggled with this for a long time because I've been met with so much resistance in what I do. Being a writer of anything is very hard, disheartening work because unless you are "known," no one believes in you. Period. The way I see a calling of any kind is that it is something that no matter how hard you try to leave it behind, it continues to come back. No matter how much you want to do something else, you keep circling back around to that one thing. No matter how much something has hurt you, beat you down, or how much other people have given you so much crap over what you've done, you can't ever escape it. Your heart is continually drawn right back to that thing to try it again.

I've been so done so many times, and yet, I keep writing music. I've wanted to leave every bit of it behind so many times, but I can't. I can't stop writing it. I can't stop playing. I have to be a part of it. No matter how hard I try to escape or how harsh the comments are or how much pain I've experienced as a resulting of trying over and over, I continue to return because only within it do I actually find peace.

I've most recently taken to writing songs with a friend of mine under the moniker of Kingdom Song. We have a couple dozen posted on YouTube, not for the glory of ourselves, but because in order for songs to be heard, someone has to play them. No one else will, so we'll sing the new songs to the Lord ourselves so that others can hear, share, and maybe even use them. Will they fit everyone? Nope. But some might.

Is my heart in the right place? I want to think so, and since I'm so conscientious of it, it probably is. The problem with being in this sort of capacity is it can very easily translate into praise for self instead of praise for God. It's easy to point to a songwriter belting out one of their own songs and say that he just wants attention. And yet, no one accuses a preacher, who writes a new sermon every week, of performing for himself. How is this different? A person stands before a congregation and gives a speech about Godly things that he wrote himself. Why accuse a songwriter of being self-centered when there is actual, scriptural reference for singing to the Lord a new song?

A songwriter can actually add quite a bit to a church if they would open their minds to the possibilities. True, it takes more talent from a worship band to play something where the arrangement has to be created, but as long as you don't do an entire set of new music, you find the time. "Sing to the Lord a new song" is in scripture four times. We are to worship the Lord, but he not only wants to hear us, he has given us talents to make something new, and he wants to hear that too. Something there that many times means something.

So don't question the heart of the songwriter. Like so many other things, there are those out for themselves, but just because it is something creative doesn't mean their heart isn't in it for the right reasons. "But you just did a whole blog post complaining about it," you may have just said. This blog post was because I was hurt by those who questioned my motives in what I am compelled to do. This post is a cry to those who turn a deaf ear to not just me, but everyone out there who wants to sing the to Lord a new song whether they want to hear it or not. This post is a reminder that just because something is public, that doesn't mean the heart of its creator isn't with the heart of THE creator.

"Sing to the Lord a new song." The Bible says it. I believe it. And if you look around, you'll find someone who can write it.