‘Sing It Loud’ – k.d. lang

Jane writes:

In the last 18 months or so, I’ve had a lot of people talking to me about “finding your song”. It may have been in worship or through a children’s story; through conversation and reflection on a radio programme or even through song lyrics themselves. It has even extended to those conversations about Simon Sinek’s work on “Finding Your Why” or discovering your core purpose. A sort of perfect storm then around discovering who you are and what really drives you. What is your song and how do you sing it with passion?

Into that space then comes this song from k.d. lang. It has such a lazy summer feel to it and yet it has at its heart a celebration of the unique individuals we are. The imperative to be true to yourself and all you can accomplish with what you’ve been given or learnt or seen as critical in life. How to be your true self and then what you do then with that discovery.

The story in your eyes

Spoke of all the things you realize and dream

The thing about finding your song or purpose is that it offers great joy. A kind of sweet spot moment but also comes with other questions and queries. If we extend the metaphor then. What happens if you’ve effectively lost your voice for while? What if someone, or some situation, has stopped you from singing? What if you’re in a choir and the rest of your friends want to sing something different? What if your song is a one hit wonder or maybe it’s a classic. How do you teach others to sing it if it has a complicated tune? How long can you sustain a solo without backing singers? You get the picture. How do you handle having to not be your whole self for a while knowing that at your heart there is a thread of being you can’t put down?

As a person of faith it never ceases to amaze me how critical song is biblically.

Songs of joy and thanksgiving. Psalms full of gratitude and despair. Songs of lament and sorrow in exile. Songs of love. Songs of realisation. In scripture then these songs are a representation of how people were discovering who they were and what they were for. People who knew from the start what they were being called to and what their purpose was. People who were unsure and on a voyage of discovery. People who had to be persuaded or discovered the hard way. People who didn’t like it. People who lived through some really tough stuff. Abraham. Moses. David. Hannah. Samuel. Jonah. Joseph. Jeremiah. Mary.

Each one with a unique story to tell and a significant “song to sing.”

It seems then that all this “song stuff” requires of us at least a little self awareness. Time to dig deep and find out who we are and how that plays out in our lives. Time to discover and focus for a while but then whatever you do and whatever your song……..

Sing it loud, sing it, sing it, sing it loud

So everyone knows who you are

Oh and by the way I Iove this bit:

When the days grow dark with confusion

You can always give your burdens to the music

It’s a real truth for me and I guess many readers of a blog like this. Ultimately I suppose, your song is what keeps you grounded but more simply the songs sung by anyone can sustain you and you can rest there for a while. Both literally and metaphorically of course.

You can find out more about KD Lang here https://www.kdlang.com/