When faced with change in life, whether good or bad, most people have a tendency to evaluate their situation, their career, their relationships, and so on. This is of course only natural. You get set in a certain pattern, develop certain habits, maybe even become somewhat robotic in your daily interactions. When something comes along and disrupts that, you’re forced to stop and evaluate what happened, what changed. And then you probably re-evaluate your first conclusion for errors.

I’ve always been the type to evaluate everything(and most who know me well enough would say I’m the type to over-evaluate). I’m constantly looking for meaning behind why things happen the way they do, why people make the choices they make, etc. and then I evaluate what could have been done to improve the situation or the choice. I like to see improvement in anything of which I am a part. My stance is if you aren’t improving, you’re declining. There is no stagnation in life. That’s not to say I’m always improving. I’ve taken as many “backsteps” in life as most others, improvement is just something for which I always strive.

With the recent drastic change in my life, I was confronted with thoughts of why it is that I do what I do. In my case, what I do is a combination of two components, music and ministry. There is nothing I feel quite as passionate about in life as the redeeming love of God and the gift He has given us that is music. But even still, as with any sort of change that shakes a persons foundation, I found myself questioning whether I truly felt passionate about these two things. And if I truly did, why?

It just so happens that one of my favorite worship bands, Rend Collective, released a new album about two weeks ago. Since getting it, I haven’t stopped listening to it. I’m serious. I play it non-stop in my office, in my car, and on my phone at home. On this album, they have a song called Simplicity. The more I listen to it, the more I view it as an anthem for my current situation. It speaks of coming to God in simplicity because of our impurities, our brokenness, our faults…It speaks of coming back to God as our first love, our true love, and He being the reason we sing. The reason I sing. Listening to this song was like a light bulb clicking on in my head. Why do I do what I do? Why would I even ask that question? More like, why would I ever do anything else? We serve an amazing God who takes us in our most broken state, knows our deepest faults and imperfections, and still puts us back together working intricately to make His love known all the way. I have no doubt God that You are the reason that I sing.

Simplicity

I come in simplicity
Longing for purity
To worship You
In spirit and truth
Only You

Lord strip it all away
‘Til only You remain
I’m coming back
To my first love
Only You

You’re the reason I sing
The reason I sing
Yes my heart will sing
How I love You
And forever I’ll sing
Forever I’ll sing
Yes my heart will sing
How I love You

I come with my broken song
To You the Perfect One
To worship You
In spirit and truth
Only You
Only You

Give me a childlike heart
Lead me to where You are
Cause I’m coming back
To my first love
Only You

You’re the reason I sing
The reason I sing
Yes my heart will sing
How I love You
And forever I’ll sing
Forever I’ll sing
Yes my heart will sing
How I love You

How I love You
How I love You
How I love You
My first love

You’re the reason I sing
The reason I sing
Yes my heart will sing
How I love You
And forever I’ll sing
Forever I’ll sing
Yes my heart will sing
How I love You