But I Was Inspired!!!
Some random thoughts today, about…
Inspiration.
Wonderful, pure, perfect intelligence sent directly from our Heavenly Father.
Which then goes through my poor, imperfect human filter and… well…
It happens to me quite a lot. Inspiration strikes like lightning, and the final product lights up like a flashlight with a dying battery.
I really can’t count the number of songs I’ve composed that you haven’t seen, and will probably never see. At least, I hope not.
In many cases, these songs were… inspired. And the inspiration was lovely and thrilling… and real.
I was simply incapable of putting the thoughts of heaven into a suitable earthly vessel. There are many reasons this can happen, even when it’s obvious that the inspiration comes straight from the Lord.
Sometimes when that happens, it means… wait. I composed the lyrics to “And His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful” many years before I managed to actually finish the song. Every melody was wrong. Nothing fit. And then, when the Lord’s time came, it worked.
Sometimes it means… the Lord is sending a message solely for my benefit. That happened not long ago with a children’s song. I wasn’t sure I should actually do the work on it, but after much prayer I felt strongly that I needed to proceed. Usually that means it will be of value to someone, somewhere. So I wrote it. And it was awful. (Don’t there-there me… I know awful when I see it. 🙂 )
The cool thing is that the Lord let me know His purpose in this case. He wanted to teach me this lesson: We do what the Lord asks, independent of what the result may be. Our behavior cannot be dependent on the outcome. Sometimes the inspiration is just for me to learn from, and that was the case with this one.
Sometimes it means… this needs refinement. Just because I am inspired, doesn’t mean that my first or second or 43rd revision is going to be able to carry that inspiration to others. Sometimes I need to keep refining. Sometimes I need someone else to do that refining. Both require humility in large doses.
Sometimes it means… I don’t have the skill it takes to put this message into music. There’s more here than I can hold.
This one is hard. You hope to be equal to every task, but it doesn’t always happen that way. In these cases, I may need to put in the time and effort to learn some new things, or I may simply have to realize that this isn’t my song to write.
Some of these scenarios are–face it–no fun. But there are some important things to be learned from them:
- Inspiration is pure and perfect when it comes from the Source, but it will never be quite so perfect after it’s run through my imperfect, human filter.
- Though I may receive inspiration for a project, I don’t always have a complete understanding of the purpose of that inspiration.
- I have to trust the Lord to make use of me as He needs me, wherever and whenever that may be.
The most wonderful feeling in the world is to hear the voice of the Spirit speaking to your soul, to capture that inspiration and to be able to create something the Lord can use.
Sometimes you fail. And that’s okay. As Oprah Winfrey so aptly put it,
“…failure is God’s way of moving you in another direction.”
And then… sometimes you succeed. Gloriously. And because you’ve been through all the other options, you realize that when you do succeed, it’s His doing.
Handy info…
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Thank you for your tremendous example of humility and generosity. I especially appreciate your comments on inspiration and the lessons you’ve learned. As always, your music is beautiful and I continue to come to your site for my ward choir’s selections.
Thank you for sharing uour human experiences!!
So very inspirational!!
I absolutely love all of your music —- I play at the Conference Center and a big part of the music I play is music that you have composed. It is inspiring and I love your melodies and arrangements.
Thanks for all the wonderful songs.
May God continue to use you to create beautiful music for the soul.
I am so blessed to have had association with you. Thank you for sharing in your very articulate and loving way lessons learned that definitely benefit my life. Don’t stop sharing, I love it!
Sally, you are truly my guide. As a convert of 22+ years, I am still an “infant” but always willing to learn. Thank you for this message. It warms my heart. I printed off the song you wrote for your sweet little grandson, and I plan to use it somewhere for something worthwhile. I will let the Spirit guide me there (I hope).
Sally you are the most inspired special lady I know. I love your music and love you. Thanks for all your inspiration
Sally you’re wonderful that’s all that need to be said
Excellent and accurate thoughts!
Thank you so much for explaining what I have been thinking about, and trying to figure out why sometimes we have inspiration, but things might appear that got lost during the process of accomplishing it.
Thank you also for telling a little bit about ” And His name shall be called wonderful”. This has become my favorite Xmas song, and I always get lost in the midst of the Spirit felt with the lyrics, and the accompaniment. The both are wonderful, but bring me different feelings, or take me to different direction on what I need to feel or learn from the Spirit. Needless to say, you’re wonderful, and I am so grateful you have blessed so many lives, especially mine with your divine talent!!!
Thank you for sharing these deeply personal – and very helpful – insights. May the Lord continue to use you to bless His people and bring glory to His name.
Sally, you continue to amaze me and inspire me. Please know that what our God does through you are things that go ever so far beyond what you can imagine. God has given you gifts, yes, but He has given us a beautiful and very special gift the moment you drew your very first breath. Thank you for your gifts that you share with us and for the sharing of your learning and resulting wisdom on this journey we know as Life.
Amen and Amen…You have learned much! Keep sharing the learning with us.
And thank you for all you do.