Music Monday: “Perfectly Loved.” by Rachael Lampa (featuring TobyMac)
by: Debbie Waltz
Welcome Back, Readers~
Before I go into my song of the week, let me just so you I am exhausted. Every time I attend one of these conferences, I can’t help but question why I’m doing it. There is so much information from so many people; it’s hard to wrap my mind around everything. Let alone there is nobody to take notes for me. Therefore, I must rely on the kindness of strangers who will share their notes with me at the conference. Of course, that doesn’t solve all my problems, but it usually brings to mind essential concepts relating to fiction or blogging that I can use.
As fantastic as these conferences are, they remind me of my limitations and bring me face-to-face with my old “friend” comparison. Thoughts like “they are doing so much better at building an audience than I am.” or “Wow, she’s got a book published; she’s light years ahead of me.” cross my mind. That’s where I stop myself and realize that while we may run the same race, she does not have the same obstacles as I do. I’m not saying this to throw myself a pity party. It’s a simple fact. I do not have the same capabilities as someone else. Neither does someone else have the ability to reach my realm of influence. Psalms 139:14 – 15 reminds us that God created us all unique. It says: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.” (NIV)
God doesn’t just stop there, though. As Christians, we are called to a deeper purpose. God has given us gifts and talents to help us provide for ourselves here. But even more importantly, we are supposed to live our daily lives constantly pointing to Him through our words and deeds. Remember what Ephesians 210 says: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Even as I write these words, I question their usefulness. You’ve probably heard all this before, right? But we all could use a reminder—even me. I would be lying to myself if I said I wouldn’t mind more readership. I would love to know if my words are making a difference and influencing the Kingdom. But that’s pride kicking in. It should be enough for me to know I am acting in obedience; Whatever God does with the results, so be it.
That’s one of my many takeaways from the Writers conference this weekend.
When I first came across this song, I had been attending the “Love Your Single Life course and thought it applied pretty well. I struggled to believe that the right person was waiting for me. Sometimes I still do. Looking back, though, I realize this song talks more about God’s love than the love of any significant other. God loves us despite our sinful and fallen nature. We can’t do anything to gain or lose His Love. We already have it! Romans 5: 6-8 says: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
To listen to Rachel’s song, it can be accessed here: